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ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


H. A. CODY 












ROD OF THE 
LONE PATROL 


BY 


H. A. CODY 


AUTHOR OF “IF ANY MAN SIN,”'“THE CHIEF OF THE RANGES,”jJ 
“THE LONG PATROL,” “THE FRONTIERSMAN,” 

ETC., ETC. 


“A boy's will is the wind's will , 

And the thoughts of youth are long , long thoughts." 

—Longfellow. 



NEW YORK 

GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 


. 

A >. 



Copyright, 1916, 

By George H. Doran Company ‘ 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 


OCT 23 1916 


©Gl. A 4 460 01 .y. 


To My 

Three Little Boys 

DOUGLAS, KENNETH AND NORMAN, 

Who are anxious to become Boy Scouts, 

This Book is 
Affectionately Dedicated 


* 




CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. 

A Waif of the Night 


• 

• 

• 

PAGE 

11 

II. 

Giving and Receiving 

• 

• 

• 

• 

23 

III. 

The Widow’s Visit . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

36 

IV. 

Rodney Develops 

• 

• 

• 

• 

45 

V. 

Captain Josh Takes a Hand 

• 

• 

• 

• 

55 

VI. 

A New Feiend . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

65 

VII. 

Chums . 





77 

VIII. 

The Chums to the Rescue 

• 

• 

• 

• 

87 

IX. 

Whyn . 





98 

X. 

His First 1 1 Good-Turn 1 ’ . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

110 

XI. 

Miss Arabella’s “Affair” 

• 

• 

• 

• 

121 

XII. 

Scout Work 

• 

• 

• 

• 

131 

XIII. 

The Visit .... 





141 

XIV. 

Unexpected Assistance 

• 

• 

• 

• 

148 

XV. 

In the City 

• 

• 

/ 

• 

• 

159 

XVI. 

Whyn Decides 


• 

• 

• 

169 

XVII. 

Anna Royanna . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

179 

XVIII. 

The Way of the Heart . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

189 

XIX. 

The Surprise 

• 

• 

• 

• 

199 


S 


7 









CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XX. The Island Adventure .214 

XXI. The Bounding Up.224 

XXII. A New Adventure.237 

XXIII. First Aid ........ 249 

XXIV. The Prodigal Son.259 

XXV. Drift-Logs.268 

XXVI. The Best “ Good-Turn ; ’ .281 

XXVII. Jimmy.. . . 292 

XXVIII. Excitement at the Anchorage . . . 300 

XXIX. The Troops Decide.309 

XXX. The Night Run.324 

XXXL Better Than a Fairy Tale . . . .337 









ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 



ROD OF THE LONE 
PATROL 


\ 

CHAPTER I 

A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 

P ARSON DAN chuckled several times as he 
sipped his hot cocoa before the fire. It was 
an open fire, and the flames licked around an old 
dry root which had been brought with other drift¬ 
wood up from the shore. This brightly-lighted 
room was a pleasing contrast to the roughness of 
the night outside, for a strong late October wind 
was careening over the land. It swirled about the 
snug Hillcrest rectory, rattling any window which 
happened to be a little loose, and drawing the 
forked-tongued flames writhing up the large 
commodious chimney. 

When the third chuckle had been emitted, Mrs. 
Royal laid aside the paper she had been reading 
and looked somewhat curiously at her husband. 

“The missionary meeting must have been very 
amusing to-night, Daniel,” sjie remarked. “It 
is too bad that I didn’t go.” 

11 


12 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


‘ 1 Oh, no, it wasn ’t the meeting which was amus¬ 
ing, 9 9 was the reply. ‘ ‘ But I must say it was the 
best one I ever attended. That missionary had a 
great story to tell and he told it well. There was 
a good attendance, too, especially for such a cold 
night. But you can’t guess, my dear, who was 
there.” 

“The Bishop?” 

“No, no,” and the parson rubbed his hands in 
glee and gave another boyish chuckle. “Give it 
up, eh?” and his eyes sparkled as he turned them 
upon his wife’s puzzled face. 

“Yes.” 

“I thought so. You could never guess, for you 
would never think of Captain Josh.” 

“No, surely not, Daniel!” and Mrs. Royal, now 
all attention, drew her chair a little closer to the 
0 fire. “What in the world took him there to-night? 
I never knew him to go to church, let alone to a 
missionary meeting.” 

“Oh, that is easily explained, dear. His only 
son, you know, is in the Yukon, and he was 
anxious to hear about that country. He was cer¬ 
tainly the most interested person there, and after 
the meeting was over, he walked right up to Mr. 
Dicer and asked him if he had met his son.” 

“And had he?” Mrs. Royal inquired. 

“Yes; knew him well. Now, the way those two 
men did talk would have done your heart good. 
To think of Captain Josh chatting with a mis- 


A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 


13 


sionary, when for years he has been so much down 
on missions and missionaries. That is one on the 
old captain, and I shall not forget it when I see 
him again, ho, ho,” and Parson Dan leaned back 
in his comfortable chair and fairly shook with 
merriment. 

“I hope that his interest will keep up,” was 
Mrs. Royal’s comment, as she picked up the 
paper she had laid aside. c ‘ Perhaps he will 
learn that missionaries are of some use in the 
world after all.” 

“I am afraid not, Martha,” the parson re¬ 
turned, as he reached for his pipe and tobacco 
lying on a little stand by his side. “It is only his 
son which made him interested to-night, and that 
is as far as it goes.” 

“It might be the beginning, though, Daniel, 
who can tell? I always liked Jimmy. He and 
Alec got on so well together. Do you know what 
day this is?” 

“Ay, ay, Martha,” and the clergyman’s face 
grew grave, and a slight mistiness dimmed his 
eyes. “I haven’t forgotten it.” 

“He would have been twenty-five to-day, Dan¬ 
iel.” 

“I know it, and it seems only yesterday that I 
went for old Doctor Paddock. It was a night 
something like this, and I was so afraid that we 
would not get back in time.” 

The fire danced cheerily before them, and the 


14 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


clock on the mantel ticked steadily as the two sat 
for some time in silence, gazing thoughtfully upon 
the blazing sticks. 

“I dreamed last night that I saw him,” Mrs. 
Royal at length remarked. 6 6 He was a baby, and 
had on his little white dress. He looked up into 
my face and smiled, just like he used to do. I 
gave a cry of joy and put out my arms to take 
him. At that I awoke, and he disappeared. Oh, 
Daniel, we didn’t value him enough when we had 
him—and now he’s gone.” 

“And do you remember, Martha, what plans 
we made for his future? Our hopes have been 
sadly shattered.” 

“We have only his memory with us now, Dan¬ 
iel,” was the quiet reply. “I always think of 
him as a baby, or as a strong manly boy coming 
home from school. But for that precious recollec¬ 
tion I hardly know how I could bear up at all.” 

Scarcely had she finished speaking, when a 
faint knock sounded upon the front door. They 
both started and listened attentively, thinking 
that perhaps it was only the wind. But when the 
knock was repeated, Parson Dan rose quickly to 
his feet, crossed the room and entered the outer 
hall. As he unlocked and opened the front door, 
a shaving of cold wind whipped into the room, 
while the inky night rose suddenly before him 
like a great perpendicular wall. For a few sec¬ 
onds he could see nothing, but as his eyes became 


A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 


15 


accustomed to the blackness, he beheld a dim 
form standing before him. Then a large bundle 
was thrust suddenly into his arms, and the figure 
disappeared. He thought he heard a sob borne 
on the night air as he stood in the door-way 
clutching the burden imposed upon him. But 
perhaps it was only the wailing of the wind he 
heard. He was too dazed to be sure of himself 
as he stood there peering forth into the night, 
expecting some one to enter, or at least to speak 
and explain the meaning of this strange behaviour. 
But none of these things happened, so, still be¬ 
wildered, he closed the door with his foot and 
made his way back into the living-room. 

“Daniel, Daniel! what are you standing there 
in the draught for?” his wife remonstrated. “ You 
will get your death of cold.” 

She ceased abruptly, however, when she saw 
her husband enter with the strange bundle in 
his arms. 

“What is it?” she gasped, rising quickly to her 
feet. 

“ Don’t know, ’’ was the reply. “It’s alive, any¬ 
way, whatever it is, for it’s beginning to wriggle. 
Here, take it.” 

But Mrs. Royal shrank back, and raised her 
hands as if to protect herself. 

“It won’t hurt you, dear. What are you afraid 
of?” 

“But it’s alive, you say. It might not be safe 


16 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

to have it in the house. Where did it come from ? ’ ’ 

Before a reply could be given, the bundle gave 
a vigorous twist, while a muffled squeal came 
from beneath the clothes, which almost caused the 
parson to drop his burden upon the floor. But 
that sound stirred Mrs. Royal to immediate action. 
No longer did she hesitate, but stepping forward 
relieved her husband of his charge. 

“It is a baby!” she cried, at the same time 
drawing aside the shawl and exposing the chubby 
face of a child nestling within. A pair of bright 
blue eyes looked up into hers, and a queer little 
chuckle of delight came from the small rose-bud 
of a mouth. So pleased was it to have its face 
uncovered, that it performed the rest of the job 
itself, and by means of a few strenuous kicks dis¬ 
engaged its feet from their covering and stuck 
them straight up into the air. 

“Bless its little heart!” was Mrs. Royal’s 
motherly comment. “It is going to make itself at 
home, anyway.” 

Seating herself before the fire, she laid aside 
the shawl and straightened out the baby’s mussed 
garments. They were clothes of the plainest, but 
spotlessly clean. 

Parson Dan stood watching his wife with much 
interest. This little waif of the night appealed 
to him in a remarkable manner. 

“Who do you suppose left it here?” he at last 


A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 17 

asked. “It'is no child of this parish, I feel quite 
6ure of that.” 

“Perhaps it was an angel who did it,” Mrs. 
Royal replied. “It may be that the good Lord 
has taken compassion upon our loneliness since 
we lost Alec and has given us this in his stead.” 

“No, I cannot believe that, Martha. I do not 
for a moment doubt that such a thing is possible, 
oh, no. But that old shawl and those plain clothes 
do not look much like heavenly robes, do they? 
I think that the hands which made that little white 
dress were human hands such as ours, and the sob 
which I heard to-night was not the sob of an angel 
but of a heart-broken mother.” 

“Well, she is the angel, then, whoever she is,” 
Mrs. Royal insisted, “and perhaps she will come 
for the baby to-morrow.” 

“Oh, do you think so, Martha?” and there was 
a note of anxiety in the parson’s voice. “How 
nice it would be to keep it.” 

“WTiy do you say 4 it,’ Daniel? Why don’t you 
say ‘her’?” 

“I never knew before that it was a ‘her,’ ” and 
the parson chuckled as he stroked his clean-shaven 
chin with the fingers of his right hand. 

“You didn’t?” and his wife looked her surprise. 
“Why, any one who has the least knowledge of 
babies can tell a boy from a girl at the first 
glance. There is always a marked difference in 
the way they behave.” 


18 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Ah, is that so, dear?” 

“Certainly. A hoy as a rule is cranky when he 
wakes. But do you notice how good natured this 
baby is? and how she lies so quietly in my lap, 
looking wonderingly into the fire? And notice 
how delicately she is formed; how perfect her 
face; how slight her neck, and how tiny her arms 
and hands. Oh, it is always easy for a woman to 
tell which is which.” 

“What shall we call her, Martha?” and Parson 
Dan drew up his chair and sat down. 

“I have been thinking of that, Daniel, but have 
not decided yet. I always liked Deborah; it is 
such a good strong name.” 

“It is a good old name, anyway,” was the 
somewhat reluctant assent. “But she is sure to 
get 4 Debbie/ or ‘Deb/ which I dislike very much.” 

“Oh, that all depends upon what a child is called 
at home, Daniel. If we begin at once to call her 
Deborah, people will do the same.” 

“Very well, Martha, if you wish to call her 
Deborah, I have no objection. But-” 

Here the parson paused, leaned over and picked 
up a small piece of white paper lying upon the 
floor. He glanced carelessly at it at first, but as 
he read the words written thereon his eyes opened 
wide. He looked at his wife, who was intently 
watching the baby, and an amused expression 
broke over his face. Then came the inevitable 
chuckle. 


A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 


19 


11 What is it now, Daniel?” his wife questioned. 
“That is the fourth time you’ve chuckled already 
to-night. It seems to take very little to amuse 
you.” 

“Suppose the baby isn’t a girl after all, dear?” 
the parson replied, ignoring his wife’s sarcastic 
remark. 

“Not a girl! What do you mean?” 

“Suppose she should be a boy, after all?” 

“The idea is ridiculous, Daniel. Don’t you 
suppose I know a girl from a boy?” 

“Very well, then, read that,” and the clergyman 
handed her the slip of paper. 

“Please take care of Rodney. I will come for him some 
day. The Lord will reward you even if I can’t. 

“His Mother.” 

As Mrs. Royal read this brief note, a peculiar 
expression overspread her face. She uttered no 
word, but her head drooped lower over the baby 
and she remained very still. Her husband at once 
realising how she felt, laid his hand upon hers. 

“There, there, dear,” he soothed. “I didn’t 
mean to make you feel badly. It was only a little 
mistake after all, and I am really glad it is a boy, 
for it will make us think that we have Alec with 
us again.” 

Mrs. Royal looked up and brushed away a tear. 
At that instant the baby gave a vigorous kick, 
accompanied by a peculiar gurgle of delight, at 
which the two attendants laughed heartily. 


20 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“That’s right, little man,” and the parson 
nodded his head approvingly. “You’re pleased, 
too, are you, to know that we’ve found out that 
you are a hoy? You didn’t want to be called 
Deborah, Debbie, or Deb, did you? Rodney suits 
you better, eh? How do you like the name, 
Martha?” 

“Very well, indeed,” and Mrs. Royal gave a 
sigh of relief. “It removes quite a load from my 
mind. But, there,” she added, “I must put him 
to bed. It isn’t good for a baby to be up so late. 
Come, Rodney,” and she lifted the little one in 

her arms, “kiss your-” 

“Grandad,” the parson assisted as his wife 
paused. “We shall teach him to call me that, eh? 
It will be better than ‘daddy.’ ” 

“You look after him, Daniel, while I make his 
bed ready. Don’t let him fall. There, that’s 
good,” and Mrs. Royal stepped back to view the 
baby lying in her husband’s arms. 

Lighting a candle which was standing on the 
mantel over the fire-place, she went upstairs and 
stopped before a door on the left of the hall-way. 
This she opened and softly entered. The room 
was small, but neat and cosy. Every piece of 
furniture was in its proper place, and the bed 
looked as if it had been recently made. The 
walls were adorned with various articles, from a 
number of shelves, filled with books for boys, to 
snow-shoes, fishing-rods, a rifle, and college col- 


A WAIF OF THE NIGHT 


21 


ours. It had been several years since any one 
had slept in that room, but not a day had passed 
during that period that Mrs. Royal had not en¬ 
tered and sat for a while in the big easy chair by 
the side of the bed. Everything was there just 
as Alec had left it, though a few things had been 
added since. 

One of these was a crib which had been his. 
This was standing in a corner of the room with 
the little pillow and white spread in perfect order. 
For a few moments Mrs. Royal stood looking 
down upon the small cot associated with such 
sweet memories. Then she placed the candle 
upon a small table and set earnestly to work. 
First she removed the clothes and mattress and 
carried the crib into her own room across the hall. 
Going back for the clothes, she carried them down¬ 
stairs, and spread them upon the backs of several 
chairs for them to warm before the fire. 

Parson Dan watched her intently, but made no 
comment. He fully realised how risky it was to 
speak just then. He knew how much it meant 
for his wife to disturb that little cot and make 
it ready for a strange child. Neither did he wish 
to say anything, for he himself was deeply stirred 
as memories of other days rushed upon him. 
When at last Rodney was carefully covered and 
sound asleep in the crib upstairs, they both stood 
looking down upon his sweet round face. 

‘ ‘ Poor little waif, ’ * Mrs. Royal remarked. ‘ 1 He 


22 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


is somebody’s child, and perhaps his mother is 
longing for him at this very moment.” 

“There is no doubt about it,” her husband 
replied. ‘ ‘ That sob which I heard to-night is still 
ringing in my ears, and I know it was the sob of 
a heart-broken mother . 9 9 


CHAPTER II 


GIVING AND RECEIVING 

T HE baby awoke bright and early the next 
morning, in fact too early for Mr. and Mrs. 
Royal. The former, especially, enjoyed the hour 
from six to seven, when, as he once said, he ob¬ 
tained his 1 ‘ beauty sleep. ’’ But the little stranger 
of the night was no respecter of persons. He 
lifted up his voice at the unnatural hour of five, 
and by means of a series of gurgles, whoops, and 
complaints, drove all sleep from drowsy eyes. He 
was not in the least abashed in the presence of 
strangers, but standing in his crib, he rattled the 
side, and yelled shouts of baby defiance at the 
other occupants of the room. 

“I didn’t know that he could stand alone,” the 
parson remarked as he first saw Rodney scramble 
to his feet. “How old do you suppose he is?” 

“About fourteen months, I should judge, Dan¬ 
iel, 9 9 his wife replied. 44 He may be older, though. 
One can’t always tell.” 

“He’s a stirring lad, anyway, Martha, and we 
shall have our hands full. Won’t you need some 
help, dear! How would it do to get a woman in 
23 


24 


ROD OF. THE LONE PATROL 


occasionally to assist with the work, as the baby 
will take so much of your time?” 

“That will not be necessary, Daniel. By the 
look of things now we shall be up earlier each 
morning, and one hour then is worth two later 
in the day.” 

After the parson had lighted the fire in the 
cooking-stove, and also the one in the living-room, 
he went to the barn to milk. He kept one Jersey 
cow which supplied enough milk for the house. 
This was a fine animal, and the pride of the neigh¬ 
bourhood, as it had taken the first prize at the 
large Exhibition held that very fall in the city. 

The rectory was situated upon land known as 
“The Glebe,” about fifty acres in extent, which 
had been granted to the Church by the Crown in 
Loyalist days. About one-third of this was under 
cultivation, producing hay and oats for the horse 
and cow, as well as all the vegetables needed for 
the table. Several acres were given up to pas¬ 
turage, while the remainder was wooded. The 
Royals were, therefore, most comfortably situated, 
and quite independent. A small orchard pro¬ 
vided them with apples, the taste of which was 
well known to every person in the parish, espe¬ 
cially the children, for Parson Dan seldom started 
forth without his pockets filled with Russets, Pip¬ 
pins, or Fameuse. Mrs. Royal had her hens, and 
no eggs seemed as large and fresh as the ones 


GIVING AND RECEIVING 25 

she often sent to some sick or aged person in the 
parish. 

While Mrs. Royal was looking after the baby, 
the parson fed his horse, “Sweepstakes,’’ and 
milked “Brindle,” the cow. He then turned the 
latter loose, and drove her down the lane to the 
feeding-ground beyond. 

“There is a stray cow out in the pasture,’’ the 
clergyman informed his wife as he sipped his 
coffee. 

“Whose is it!” was the somewhat absent- 
minded reply, for Mrs. Royal’s attention was 
upon Rodney, who was creeping gaily about the 
floor, examining every nook, and making himself 
perfectly at home. 

“I don’t know whose it is,” the parson re¬ 
torted, a little nettled at his wife’s question. “I 
can tell you about every man, woman, and child 
in this parish; I know all the horses and dogs, 
and can give you their pedigrees. But I draw 
a line at cows, pigs, hens, and cats. I am fond 
enough of them, but there is a limit to the things 
I can remember. I forget too much as it is. And, 
by the way, that reminds me that I must go to 
Hazlewood to-day. Joe Bradley told me last 
night that his mother is ill, and wishes to see me. 
He came all the way to the meeting on purpose 
to tell me, and to think that I nearly forgot all 
about it! It was that young rascal, though, who 
did it,” and the parson turned his eyes upon the 


26 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


baby. “Do you think that you can make out 
alone with him, Martha! I fear that I shall be 
away all day, as there are several other calls I 
must make at Hazlewood.” 

“Oh, I shall make out all right,” was the reply. 
“But there are several things you might bring 
me from the store on your way home. I will make 
out a list for you, as you would be sure to forget 
them. ’ ’ 

It was almost dusk when Parson Dan returned 
from his long journey, tired and hungry. 

“How is the boy!” he asked as he entered the 
house, after having stabled Sweepstakes. 

“He’s as good as gold, Daniel,” Mrs. Royal 
replied. “But I am worried about Brindle. She 
hasn’t come in yet, and I cannot see her anywhere 
in the pasture.” 

“She’s with that strange cow, no doubt, Martha, 
and I shall go after her at once. It will be too 
dark if I wait until supper is over.” 

Parson Dan was absent for about an hour, and 
it was dark when he returned to the rectory. He 
looked disappointed. 

“Brindle is gone,” was the news he imparted 
to his wife. “I found where the fence was broken 
down. That strange cow must have done it, for 
I never knew Brindle to do such a thing. I won¬ 
der how that cow got in there, anyway. It is a 
complete mystery to me. I tried to follow the 
cows through the woods, but it got so dark that 


GIVING AND RECEIVING 


27 


I was forced to give up the search. I must be off 
early in the morning or there will be no milk for 
the wee lad’s breakfast.” 

“And none for our coffee, Daniel,” was his 
wife’s reminder. “Milk will be a very poor sub¬ 
stitute for cream, but it will be better than noth- 
ing.” 

“That’s quite true, Martha. It’s been a long 
time since we’ve been without milk or cream in 
the house. But we can stand it better than the 
baby. Poor little chap, he must not starve, even 
if we have to borrow some from our neighbours. 
I hope Rodney has not tired you too much to-day, 
dear. It has been years since you had the care 
of a baby.” 

“It has been a great joy, Daniel, to have the 
laddie with me. He slept several hours, and when 
he woke he was so good and full of fun. At times 
I imagined he was Alec playing on the floor with 
his blocks. He was very sweet when I put him 
to bed to-night. He never misses his mother. How 
soon a baby forgets.” 

6 1 But I venture to say that his mother hasn’t for¬ 
gotten him,” and the parson’s face grew serious 
as he recalled that sob of the night before. “I 
have been thinking of her all through the day, and 
wondering who she is, and why she left her baby 
at our door.” 

4 4 And so have I, Daniel. I had the idea that she 


30 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

reply. “We seem to be the only persons astir, 
eh?” 

“More’s the pity, parson. Don’t see the like of 
that every day,” and the captain waved his stick 
through the air. 4 ‘ Fine sight, that. ’ ’ 

“It certainly is,” the clergyman assented, “and 
how few are abroad to see it. But say, captain, 
you haven’t Seen anything of my cow, have you?” 

“Ho, ho, that’s a sudden jump, isn’t it, par¬ 
son?” 

“A sudden what?” 

“A sudden jump from the sublime to the ridicu¬ 
lous; from a scene like that to a cow.” 

“Not when you have no milk or cream, captain. 
Brindle has broken out of the pasture, and I have 
no idea where she can be. ’ ’ 

“Did ye pray this mornin’ that ye might find 
her, parson?” 

“No, I can’t say that I did,” was the some¬ 
what reluctant reply, for Parson Dan was well 
accustomed to Captain Josh’s thrusts. 

“Ah, that’s too bad. The missionary said 
night before last that we must pray if we expect 
to receive, didn’t he?” 

“Yes, captain, he did.” 

“And he told us more’n that, parson. He said 
that we couldn’t expect to receive unless we 
gave. ’ ’ 

“Yes, he said that also.” 

“And by jingo, he was right, too,” and the cap- 


GIVING AND RECEIVING 


31 


tain brought his stick down upon the road with 
a bang. “I’ve tried it, and it has turned out 
just as the missionary said it would.’’ 

“You have!” and the clergyman looked his 
astonishment. “I am so glad, captain, to know 
that you have come to view things in a different 
light. I was pleased to see you at the mission¬ 
ary meeting, and I am so thankful that you were 
benefited by what you heard. Won’t you tell me 
how you proved Mr. Dicer’s words to be true?” 

“Would ye like to know, parson?” and a sly 
twinkle shone in the captain’s eyes as he asked 
the question. 

“Certainly. Go ahead.” 

“And ye won’t feel hurt?” 

“Feel hurt! Why should I?” 

“Well, ye see, it concerns yer cow, and no 
matter how a man might feel about the welfare 
of others, when it comes to himself and his own 
personal property, it makes a great difference.” 

“I do not understand your meaning, captain,” 
and the clergyman’s voice had a note of sharp¬ 
ness. “What has the missionary meeting to do 
with my cow?” 

“Considerable, parson, considerable. When I 
went home from that meetin’, sez I to my wife, 
1 Betsey, I have learned a new wrinkle to-night, 
which may be of much use to us.’ She asked me 
what I meant, so I up and told her what the mis¬ 
sionary had said about givin’ and receivin’. He 


32 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


laid it down very plain that unless a man gave 
to the Lord’s work, he couldn’t expect to prosper. 
Now, didn’t he?” 

“That’s what he said,” and the clergyman 
nodded his assent. 

“Well, then, sez I to Betsey, ‘Betsey, we’ve 
never prospered, because we’ve never given any¬ 
thing.’ 

“ ‘But what have we to give?’ sez she. 

“ ‘Nothin’ much,’ sez I, ‘except our old cow 
Bess.’ 

“ ‘Oh, we can’t give her,’ sez she. ‘We’ll have 
no milk if we do.’ 

“ ‘But we’ll get more in return,’ sez I. ‘The 
missionary said so, and I want to prove his 
words.’ Well, the long and short of it is, that 
I took Bess early the next mornin’ and turned 
her into your pasture afore you were up. Bet¬ 
sey was lookin’ pretty glum when I got back home, 
but I told her to cheer up, fer the Lord would 
prosper us as we had given Him our cow.” 

“Captain Josh Britt!” the parson exclaimed. 
“I am astonished at you! How could you think 
of doing such a thing?” 

“Why, what’s wrong with that?” and the cap¬ 
tain tried to look surprised. “Isn’t it scriptural? 
I thought by givin’ Bess to you, I was givin’ her 
to the Church, and in that way she could be used 
fer the Lord’s work.” 


GIVING AND RECEIVING 33 

“Oh, I see,” and the clergyman stroked his 
chin in a thoughtful manner. 

“Yes, and I tell ye it succeeded like a charm/’ 
the captain continued. “I gave up Bess, and, lo 
and behold, she came back last night b ringin’ an¬ 
other cow with her.” 

“My cow, eh?” the parson queried. 

“Sure. But didn’t it prove the missionary’s 
words to be true: ‘Give, and ye’ll receive more 
in return?’ We gave up our only cow and now 
we have two.” 

Parson Dan made no immediate reply, for he 
was too deeply grieved to speak. His faint hope 
that a change had come over Captain Josh was 
now dispelled. For years he had mocked at 
church-going, and all things connected with re¬ 
ligion. And so this was but another of his many 
tricks. But he must not let this scoffer off with¬ 
out a word of rebuke. 

“Captain Josh,” and the parson’s voice was 
stern, “when you put your cow into my pasture 
you knew that she would come back, didn’t you ? ’ ’ 

“Why, what makes ye think so, parson?” 

“Didn’t you know that she would break down 
almost any fence?” 

“Yes, I suppose I did.” 

“And that she would naturally take my cow 
with her?” 

As the captain did not answer, the parson con¬ 
tinued. 


34 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“You did it merely to make a scoff at religion, 
and have a joke to tell at the store for others to 
laugh at. Oh, I know your tricks well enough. 
I have striven to live peaceably with all men, but 
you have sorely tried me on various occasions. 
"Whatever good I have done in this parish, you 
have endeavoured to undo it by your scoffs and 
actions. I often wonder why you do such things 
to oppose me.” 

Into the captain’s face came an expression of 
surprise mingled with anger. He had never heard 
the clergyman speak to him so plainly before, and 
he resented it. 

“You have had your say, parson, and I have 
the cow,” he retorted, “so we are quits. Come 
and take her out of my yard if ye dare.” 

“I don’t intend to try, captain. If you wish 
to injure your own soul by stealing Brindle you 
may do so. I can get another, only it will be 
hard on the little chap not to get his milk. I see 
it is no use for us to continue this conversation 
any further,” and the clergyman turned to go. 

“Hold on, parson,” the captain cried, as he 
took a quick step forward. “D’ye mean the wee 
lad which was left at yer door t’other night?” 

“Why, yes,” the clergyman replied, in sur¬ 
prise, as he turned around. “How did you hear 
about him?” 

“H’m, ye can’t keep anything in this place a 


GIVING AND DECEIVING 35 

secret fer twenty-four hours. Trust the women 
to find out, especially about a baby, ha, ha!” 

“Well, what of it?” and the parson looked 
keenly into the captain’s eyes. 

“Oh, nothin’, except that if the wee chap has 
to go without his milk because I have Brindle, it 
makes all the difference in the world, see?” 

“And you will let me have the cow without any 
fuss?” 

“Sure. I’ll bring her right over, and milk her 
fer ye, too. And, see here, parson, I didn’t mean 
to offend ye. I know that I am a queer cranky 
cuss, but I never meant to keep Brindle. I only 
wanted to have a little fun, that’s all. You’ve 
gone up a peg in my estimation since I heard that 
ye’d taken in that poor little waif. Shake on it, 
and let bygones be bygones.” 

So there in the middle of the road on this peace¬ 
ful morning, the two neighbours clasped hands, 
and as Parson Dan walked slowly back to his 
house there was a sweet peace in his heart, and 
his eyes were a little misty as he opened the door. 


CHAPTER m 


THE WIDOW’S VISIT 

P ARSON DAN spent most of the day in visit¬ 
ing his people in the parish, and accordingly 
had little time to give to Rodney. But after sup¬ 
per he began to romp with the wee man much to 
Mrs. Royal’s amusement. There was considerable 
excitement for a while as the clergyman, on all- 
fours, carried the baby through the kitchen, into 
the dining-room, and back again. The boy shiv¬ 
ered with delight as he sat perched upon the broad 
back. Forgotten were all parish cares as the ven¬ 
erable man gave himself up to the little waif. He 
had become a child again, and had entered that 
kingdom where children are the uncrowned mon- 
archs, and the strong and the aged are willing sub¬ 
jects, yea, even most abject slaves. 

In the midst of this hilarious frolic, the door of 
the dining-room, leading into the hall, was sud¬ 
denly opened, and a woman entered. She was 
dressed all in black which costume was well in 
keeping with her face, which bore the same ex¬ 
pression it did the day she buried her husband two 
years before. Her sober face grew a shade more 
36 


THE WIDOW’S VISIT 


37 


sober as her eyes rested upon the undignified 
scene before her, and she was about to turn and 
hurry back out of doors, when the parson caught 
sight of her. His face, flushed with the excite¬ 
ment of the romp, took a deeper hue when he saw 
Mrs. Marden standing before him. He scrambled 
to his feet, and plunked Rodney down upon the 
floor, much to that young gentleman’s disgust. 
He at once set up a dismal howl, which took 
Mrs. Royal some time to silence when she had 
him alone in the kitchen. 

“I didn’t see you, Mrs. Marden,” the parson 
gasped, as he tried to recover his breath as well as 
his composure. 

“So I observe,” was the somewhat sarcastic 
reply, as the visitor surveyed her rector. “I 
knocked long and loud, but as there was no re¬ 
sponse, I took the liberty to enter. I am sorry 
that I have intruded. Perhaps I had better go.” 

“No, no, you must not think of such a thing,” 
the parson replied, as he handed her a chair, and 
then struggled quickly into his coat, which he 
had cast aside at the beginning of the frolic. He 
was annoyed at Mrs. Marden’s intrusion into the 
privacy of his family life, especially when he was 
off guard. He knew that she had come on some 
important business, as she otherwise never dark¬ 
ened the rectory door. 

“You’ve become quite a family man, so I un¬ 
derstand,” she began. “It’s the first time that 


38 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


I’ve seen the baby. I suppose you’ll put him 
in the Orphan Home in the city.” 

“No, I shall do nothing of the sort,” was the 
emphatic reply. “He shall stay here until his 
mother comes for him.” 

“H’m,” and the widow tossed her head in a 
knowing manner, “then you’ll have him on your 
hands for a long time. Do you for a moment 
imagine that a mother who is heartless enough to 
leave her baby with total strangers, will come 
for him? Not a bit of it. Mark my word, she’s 
only too glad to be rid of it, and is off somewhere 
now having a good time. I should be very care¬ 
ful, if I were you, about bringing up such a child. 
You can’t tell who his parents are, and he may 
inherit all their bad qualities.” 

The clergyman made no reply. He merely 
stroked his chin, and thought of the sob he had 
heard at the door that dark night. 

11 Such a child, ’ ’ Mrs. Marden continued, in her 
most doleful voice, “is sure to bring trouble upon 
you sooner or later. But, then, we all have our 
troubles, and must expect them. Ever since poor 
Abner was taken from me my life has been full of 
trials and tribulations. He was very good to me, 
and we were so happy.” 

At this point the widow produced her handker¬ 
chief, and wiped away the tears which were flow¬ 
ing down her cheeks. Parson Dan knew, and all 
the neighbours knew, that if Mrs. Marden’s life 


THE WIDOW’S VISIT 


39 


was “full of trials and tribulations’’ after her 
husband’s death, Mr. Harden had more than his 
share of them before he died, due directly to his 
wife’s incessant nagging. 

“Yes, I have my troubles,” and the widow re¬ 
sumed her tale of woe. “They never cease, for 
just as soon as one is removed another springs 
up.” 

“Why, what’s wrong now?” the parson queried. 

“What! haven’t you heard?” and the visitor 
looked sharply at the clergyman. 

“No, I can’t say that I have, especially of 
late.” 

“Dear me, and it’s the talk of the whole parish. 
But, then, I suppose you’ve been so taken up with 
this new addition to your family that you have 
had no time to give to the cares of the widow 
and the fatherless.” 

A perceptible shade of annoyance passed over 
Parson Dan’s face, and a sharp word of retort 
sprang to his lips. He repressed this, however, 
and answered as gently as possible. 

“You know, Mrs. Marden,” he began, “that 
often I am the last person to hear what is being 
said throughout the parish. I try not to listen to 
all the gossip which takes place, as I have more 
important things to occupy my mind. So-” 

“And you don’t consider my troubles impor¬ 
tant enough to listen to, eh?” Mrs. Marden inter- 



40 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


rupted. “Well, I declare. I never heard the 
like of that, and you my clergyman, too.” 

“Let me explain, please/’ the parson continued. 
“As I said, I seldom listen to gossip, because so 
much of it is of such a frivolous nature. There¬ 
fore, when anything of real importance is talked 
about, as a rule I do not hear that, either. In 
that way I have missed your story, Mrs. Mar- 
den. But when you come yourself to tell me, that 
makes all the difference, and I am ever ready to 
listen. ’ 9 

While Parson Dan was thus enduring with con¬ 
siderable patience his wearisome visitor, Rodney 
was creeping about the kitchen floor in a most 
lively manner. The dining-room door was ajar, 
and at last when Mrs. RoyaPs back was turned, 
he reached forth a small chubby hand, opened the 
door and entered. The parson saw him, but paid 
no attention to his movements. Mrs. Marden, 
however, who was sitting with her back to the 
door, was so occupied with her load of troubles 
that she neither saw nor heard the baby’s en¬ 
trance. On all-fours Rodney glided behind the 
widow’s chair. Here against the wall stood a 
tall, slender cabinet, the lower shelves of which 
were filled with books, while above were various 
knick-knacks, all neatly arranged. It took Rod¬ 
ney but a second to scramble to his feet, and bal¬ 
ance himself by clutching firmly at the cabinet 
which was not fastened to the wall. Then the in- 


THE WIDOW’S VISIT 


41 


evitable happened. The cabinet at first trembled, 
and then began to fall. Parson Dan saw it com¬ 
ing, and with a cry he leaped to his feet, and 
caught it as it was about to crash upon Mrs. Mar- 
den’s head. He could not, however, stop the 
knick-knacks, and so tea-cups, saucers, work-bas¬ 
ket, a china dog, and numerous other articles were 
showered upon the widow, thus adding to her 
woes. 

With a startled cry Mrs. Marden sprang to her 
feet, certain that the ceiling had fallen upon her. 
Hearing the confusion, Mrs. Royal rushed into the 
room, rescued Rodney unhurt from the ruins, and 
carried him back into the kitchen. The clergy¬ 
man at once turned his attention to his visitor. 

“I trust that you are not hurt,” he remarked. 
“I am so sorry that this accident happened.” 

“I’m not hurt,” was the feeble response, “but 
I feel very faint,” and the widow sank into a 
chair, and closed her eyes. “There, I feel better 
now,” she continued, breathing heavily. “Oh, 
what a shock that gave me! My troubles never 
cease. Just think, I might have been killed if 
the good Lord had not stopped that thing from 
falling.” 

The clergyman repressed a smile as he well 
knew that the Lord had nothing to do with it. 
He kept his thoughts to himself, however, and. 
busied himself with picking up the various articles 
and broken fragments which strewed the floor. 


40 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


rupted. “Well, I declare. I never heard the 
like of that, and you my clergyman, too. ,, 

“Let me explain, please,’’ the parson continued. 
“As I said, I seldom listen to gossip, because so 
much of it is of such a frivolous nature. There¬ 
fore, when anything of real importance is talked 
about, as a rule I do not hear that, either. In 
that way I have missed your story, Mrs. Mar- 
den. But when you come yourself to tell me, that 
makes all the difference, and I am ever ready to 
listen. ’’ 

While Parson Dan was thus enduring with con¬ 
siderable patience his wearisome visitor, Rodney 
was creeping about the kitchen floor in a most 
lively manner. The dining-room door was ajar, 
and at last when Mrs. Royal’s back was turned, 
he reached forth a small chubby hand, opened the 
door and entered. The parson saw him, but paid 
no attention to his movements. Mrs. Marden, 
however, who was sitting with her back to the 
door, was so occupied with her load of troubles 
that she neither saw nor heard the baby’s en¬ 
trance. On all-fours Rodney glided behind the 
widow’s chair. Here against the wall stood a 
tall, slender cabinet, the lower shelves of which 
were filled with books, while above were various 
knick-knacks, all neatly arranged. It took Rod¬ 
ney but a second to scramble to his feet, and bal¬ 
ance himself by clutching firmly at the cabinet 
which was not fastened to the wall. Then the in- 


THE WIDOW’S VISIT 


41 


evitable happened. The cabinet at first trembled, 
and then began to fall. Parson Dan saw it com¬ 
ing, and with a cry he leaped to his feet, and 
caught it as it was about to crash upon Mrs. Mar- 
den’s head. He could not, however, stop the 
knick-knacks, and so tea-cups, saucers, work-bas¬ 
ket, a china dog, and numerous other articles were 
showered upon the widow, thus adding to her 
woes. 

With a startled cry Mrs. Marden sprang to her 
feet, certain that the ceiling had fallen upon her. 
Hearing the confusion, Mrs. Royal rushed into the 
room, rescued Rodney unhurt from the ruins, and 
carried him back into the kitchen. The clergy¬ 
man at once turned his attention to his visitor. 

“I trust that you are not hurt,” he remarked. 
“I am so sorry that this accident happened.” 

“I’m not hurt,” was the feeble response, “but 
I feel very faint,” and the widow sank into a 
chair, and closed her eyes. “There, I feel better 
now,” she continued, breathing heavily. “Oh, 
what a shock that gave me! My troubles never 
cease. Just think, I might have been killed if 
the good Lord had not stopped that thing from 
falling.” 

The clergyman repressed a smile as he well 
knew that the Lord had nothing to do with it. 
He kept his thoughts to himself, however, and. 
busied himself with picking up the various articles 
and broken fragments which strewed the floor. 


42 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“What an awful baby be is,” Mrs. Marden at 
length exclaimed. “If be can do such a terrible 
thing now, what will be do when be grows up ? It 
is not safe to have such a child in your bouse.” 

“Why, any child would have done the same,” 
the parson replied. 4 ‘ He didn’t mean any harm . 9 9 

‘ ‘ He didn’t! Why, what else did he mean, then ? 
Children should be taught to behave themselves'. 
I never allowed a child of mine to climb up and 
pull things over. Poor dear Abner often said 
that I was the one woman in the whole parish 
who knew how to bring up children. But, there, 
I must go. My head is aching badly, and I know 
that I shall get no rest to-night. Oh, what trou¬ 
bles we poor mortals are heir to in this mun¬ 
dane sphere.” 

“You must not walk, Mrs. Marden,” Parson 
Han insisted. “I shall drive you home. It will 
take me only a few minutes to harness Sweep- 
stakes.” 

“But I’m afraid it will be too much trouble,” 
was the reply. 

“Not at all, not at all, Mrs. Marden, I shall be 
only too glad to do it.” In fact the rector was 
most anxious to get his visitor out of the house 
before she began to pour forth her tale of woe, 
which he believed she had forgotten. But in this 
he was doomed to disappointment. 

c ‘ Just a minute, parson, ’ ’ the widow began. * ‘ I 


THE WIDOW'S VISIT 43 

ft 

haven't told you yet the object of my visit here 
to-night. '' 

‘ ‘Doesn't your head trouble you too much to 
bother with it now?" the clergyman asked, try¬ 
ing to look as sympathetic as possible. ‘ ‘ Suppose 
you wait until you feel better." 

“No, I can't do that, for it might be too late. 
Just think what might become of me and my poor 
fatherless children if I put it off until to-morrow." 

“Oh, ig*it as serious as that, Mrs. Marden?" 

“Indeed it is, and it is but another example of 
how the widow is oppressed. If poor Abner was 
only alive! But now that he is gone, people think 
that they can do what they like with a lonely 
widow.'' 

“What, has any one been trying to injure you, 
Mrs. Marden?" 

“Yes, that's just it. Tom Dunker is the one, 
and he's trying to get the lighthouse from me." 

“Ah, so that's it?" and the parson gave a deep 
sigh. 

“Yes. He's had the promise of it, so I under¬ 
stand. I've looked after that lighthouse ever 
since Abner died, and I have never failed in my 
duty once. But Tom Dunker, the sneak, wants it. 
He's a Government supporter, and thinks he ought 
to have it for what he did at the last election. Ab¬ 
ner voted opposition, and though they let me keep 
it ever since he died, the Dunkers have been mak- 


44 


EOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


ing such a fuss about it that something has to be 
done to pacify them . 1 9 

“I am very sorry to hear this, Mrs. Harden,” 
and Parson Dan placed his hand to his forehead. 
This news troubled him, for he saw breakers 
ahead. 

“I knew that you would be sorry,” the widow 
replied, “and so I have come to ask you to write 
to headquarters. A letter from you explaining 
the whole matter will have much effect.’ ’ 

The Dunkers were members of his flock, and 
Parson Dan was well aware how troublesome 
they could become if things did not go their way. 
But when his duty was clear he never hesitated, 
and as this was a case where it was necessary to 
protect the weak against the strong, he promised 
the widow that he would write at once on her be¬ 
half. 

So at last the clergyman was free from the 
woman of many troubles, and with a deep sigh of 
relief he sought the kitchen where Mrs. Royal 
had Rodney all ready for bed. 


I 


CHAPTER IV 

RODNEY DEVELOPS 

T HE entire parish of Hillcrest soon took much 
interest in Rodney the waif. Tongues be¬ 
came loosened and people freely expressed their 
opinion about Parson Dan’s action in taking the 
child into his house. Some were most harsh in 
their criticism, especially Tom Dunker, who had 
been defeated in the lighthouse affair owing to 
the letter the parson had written on behalf of 
Widow Harden. He was very angry, and nursed 
his wrath against the day when he could get even 
with the clergyman. 

“We don’t want a boy like that at the rectory,” 
he complained. “He should have been sent to 
the Orphanage or the Poor House. We pay the 
parson’s salary, an’ we have a right to say who is 
to live by means of the money we give.” 

Now, Tom Dunker contributed only one dollar 
a year to the support of the Church, and he al¬ 
ways gave that in' a most begrudging manner. 
He even refused to give this small amount after 
the parson sided with the widow. 

There were others, however, who stood loyally 
s 45 


46 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


by their rector. They praised him for what he 
had done, and did all they could to assist him. 

Thus this discussion was general throughout 
the parish for several weeks. Some were sure 
that they saw the woman who had left the child 
at the rectory. She had taken the early steamer 
the next morning for the city, so they said. 
Though the stories were somewhat different yet 
all agreed that the woman was beautiful, though 
her face was very sad, as if she had been weeping 
bitterly, and had not slept at all during the night. 

Although the Royals heard faint rumours at 
times of what was being said, they went on their 
way undisturbed, happy in the feeling that they 
had done their duty, and pouring out their affec¬ 
tion upon the little lad who had become so dear to 
their lonely hearts. 

At Christmas they were greatly surprised when 
a letter from Boston reached them, with a post- 
office order enclosed for one dollar. 

“I am hungry for news of my baby,” so the letter ran, “and 
will you please drop me a line to let me know how he is. I 
hope to send more money when I can. The above address will 
find me. Anna Layor.” 

Parson Dan held the post-office order in his 
hand for some time after he had read the letter. 
His eyes stared straight before him into the fire, 
though he saw nothing there. 

“That money goes into the bank, Martha,’’ he 


RODNEY DEVELOPS 


47 


at length remarked. “I shall open an account in 
Rodney’s name. I could not use that money as it 
would weigh too heavily upon my conscience. A 
sacrifice has been made, there is no doubt of that. 
It is the price of blood, as truly as was the water 
brought to David from the well of Bethlehem.” 

‘‘ You are quite right, Daniel,” his wife replied. 
4 ‘ Something tells me that she is a good true 
woman, and that Rodney need never be ashamed 
of her. But do you notice her name, ‘Anna 
Layor’l” 

“Don’t let that worry you, dear. I have the 
feeling that it is not her real name. Anyway, 
until we are sure let the boy keep ours.” 

That night Parson Dan wrote a long letter in 
answer to the brief one he had received that day. 
It was all about Rodney—in fact, a complete life 
history of the lad from the cold night he had been 
left at the rectory. Far away in the big American 
city a few days later, in a scantily furnished 
room, it was read by a woman whose tears fell 
upon the pages as she eagerly drank in every word 
which told her of the welfare of her darling child. 

The next year Rodney’s mother wrote every 
month, enclosing one dollar each time. This 
amount was duly deposited in the bank to the 
child’s account. This was kept up with great reg¬ 
ularity for several years, and during that time 
numerous letters were exchanged. The ones from 
the mother were always very brief, and never once 


48 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


did she mention anything about herself. It was 
all of Rodney she wrote, for her heart seemed 
full of love and longing for the child. 

“Your letters are all too short,” she once wrote. “I read them 
over and over again, and as you describe my little darling, 
how I long to see him and clasp him in my arms. God grant 
I may ere long have that blessed privilege. He is enshrined 
in my heart, and his sweet face is ever before me. I console 
myself with the thought that he is safe and well provided for. 
Some day, I feel sure, I shall to a certain extent repay you 
for all that you have done for him and me.” 

When Rodney was five years old, the money 
from his mother began to increase. At first it was 
two dollars a month, then three, and at last five. 
This somewhat worried the Royals, for they be¬ 
lieved that Rodney’s mother was in better circum¬ 
stances, and would soon return for her boy. Their 
faces always grew very grave and their hearts 
heavy as they discussed this with each other. 
They dreaded the thought of parting with the 
little lad who had so completely won their affec¬ 
tion. 

Rodney was rapidly developing into a strong 
sturdy lad. He was the joy of the house, and 
though of a most loveable disposition, he was like 
a will-o’-the-wisp, full of fun and life. He spent 
most of the time out of doors in summer among 
the birds and flowers. There was hardly a crea¬ 
ture in the vicinity of the rectory which he did 
not know. He found birds’ nests in the most un- 


RODNEY DEVELOPS 


49 


likely places, and lie often caused Parson Dan 
many a tramp, as he eagerly pointed out his nu¬ 
merous treasures in tree, field, or vine-covered 
fence. It was often hard for the clergyman to 
keep up with his young guide, who sped on before, 
his bare, curly hair gleaming like gold in the sun. 
Then, when he had parted several small bushes 
and exposed the nest of a grey-bird or a robin, 
his cheeks would glow with animation, and his 
eyes sparkle with delight. Parson Dan found 
more pleasure in watching this joy-thrilled lad 
than in the tiny eggs which were exhibited for 
his benefit. 

This was an almost daily occurrence through 
the summer. Then at night, when tired with his 
day’s rambles, Rodney would rest his head upon 
the soft pillow while Mrs. Royal read him 
to sleep. Stories he loved, and never wearied of 
them. One by one the books were brought from 
the Room of Sacred Memories until the boy knew 
them all. 

“Did you read all of those books when you 
were little, Grandma?” Rodney once asked. 

“Not when I was little, dear,” was the quiet 
reply. “But I read them to a little boy, though, 
who was as fond of them then as you are now.” 

“Whose little boy was he, Grandma?” 

“He was my little boy, Rodney.” 

“Was he? Isn’t that funny? I didn’t know 
that. What was his name?” 


50 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“It was Alec.” 

“And where is he now?” 

“He grew to he a big man, and one day he 
went away from home, and—and I never saw him 
again.” 

“What are yon crying for, Grandma?” the boy 
asked, suddenly noticing that tears were stream¬ 
ing down Mrs. Royal’s cheeks. 

“I was thinking of my boy Alec, dear. He went 
away and never came back.” 

“Why didn’t he?” 

“Because he was killed.” 

“Oh!” and Rodney clasped his hands together. 
“How was he killed, Grandma?” 

“He was on a train which ran off the track. 
Many people were killed, and Alec was one of 
them.” 

“And that was his room, was it?” Rodney 
asked. “And those were his books which he had 
when he was a little boy?” 

“Yes, dear. But go to sleep now, and I shall 
tell you more about Alec some other time.’ 9 

So free was the life which Rodney led, that some 
of the neighbours often shook their heads, and 
prophesied trouble. 

“If that boy Rod Royal isn’t looked after 
more’n he is he will come to a bad end, mark my 
word,” Tom Dunker ponderously remarked to his 
wife one evening. “He’s runnin’ wild, that’s 
what he is. ’ ’ 


RODNEY DEVELOPS 


51 


“Well, what can you expect of a pauper child?” 
his wife replied. 

“Oh, I know that, Jane. I’m not blamin’ him; 
he can’t help it. But them who has the hringin’ 
up of him are at fault. What do the Royals know 
about the trainin’ of a child? Didn’t the only 
chick they ever had go wild, an’ him a parson’s 
son, too? I went to school with Alec, an’ I tell 
ye they kept a tight rein on him. I was sure 
that he’d be a parson like his dad. But, no, sir- 
ree, jist as soon as he got his freedom, he kicked 
over the traces like a young colt, an’ went away.” 

Rodney gave the neighbours numerous causes 
for criticism. Unconsciously and boy-like, he did 
things which were often misconstrued as down¬ 
right badness, whereas the boy had not the slight¬ 
est intention of doing anything wrong. He was 
simply natural, while many of his critical elders 
were most unnatural. They had their own hide¬ 
bound rules of what was proper, so they found 
it impossible to enter into the child’s world, and 
look at things from his point of view. 

One Sunday Rodney took a kitten with him to 
church. The little pet was smuggled in beneath 
his coat. So dearly did he love it that he could 
not bear to be parted with it during church time 
for fear that something would happen to it. And, 
besides, he liked to have it with him, that he 
might cuddle it during the service, which to him 
was long and uninteresting. There would have 


52 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


been no trouble if the kitten had been content 
to remain beneath its master’s coat. But, alas, 
when the organ struck up for the first hymn, it 
began to wriggle vehemently in an effort to get 
its head out to see where the peculiar noise came 
from. Rodney tried to keep it back and soothe 
its fears. But all in vain, for the kitten suddenly 
slipped from his grasp, and sprang out into the 
aisle. Rodney instantly darted after his pet, and 
seized it just as it was about to disappear be¬ 
neath the pulpit steps. Triumphantly he carried 
it back to the seat where Mrs. Royal was sitting. 

To the latter it was only an amusing incident, 
as she understood the spirit in which it was done. 
But to many in the church it was a most disgrace¬ 
ful thing, and formed a choice topic of conversa¬ 
tion for the rest of the day in various households. 
They could not, and in truth did not wish to re¬ 
member the excellent sermon Parson Dan deliv¬ 
ered that morning. The picture of a little curly- 
headed boy speeding up the aisle after the kitten 
obscured everything else. 

It was that very week when Rodney, made his 
next break, which branded him as a red-handed 
criminal to several in the parish. The Ladies’ 
Aid Society was meeting at the rectory on a beau¬ 
tiful afternoon. There was a good attendance, 
and the members freely discussed many questions 
of vital interest. 

The conversation at last drifted off to the train- 


RODNEY DEVELOPS 


53 


ing of children. This was brought about most 
deftly by Mrs. Harmon, solely for Mrs. Royal’s 
benefit. Mrs. Harmon had no children, and, as is 
generally the case, she considered herself a great 
authority as to how children should be managed. 
There was no half-way measure in her system of 
training. She knew, and that ended it. 

Mrs. Harmon was ably supported by Miss Ara¬ 
bella Simpkins, a woman of uncertain age, ex¬ 
ceedingly precise, and subject to severe attacks 
of ‘ ‘ nerves. ’ ’ Her thin lips remained tightly com¬ 
pressed as she listened for some time to the con¬ 
versation. As mothers who had brought up chil¬ 
dren told how difficult a problem it was, Miss Ara¬ 
bella’s eyes gleamed with a scornful pity, and her 
nose tilted higher in the air than ever. Then 
when at last she did open her lips, she uttered 
words laden with great wisdom. It was disgrace¬ 
ful, so she said, the way children were indulged 
at the present day. It was seldom that you could 
find parents who had any real control over their 
offspring. Oh, yes, she knew. 

Scarcely had she finished speaking ere Rodney 
appeared at the door, barefooted, hatless, his 
blouse dirty, his cheeks aglow, and his eyes blaz¬ 
ing with excitement. In his grimy hands he 
clasped some precious treasure. He hesitated for 
an instant when he saw so many women in the 
room. But nothing could restrain him. He had 


54 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


made a marvellous discovery, and wished to show 
it to others. 

Miss Arabella was right before him, a few feet 
away. For her he darted, and dropped suddenly 
into her lap a big-eyed, hump-back toad. In¬ 
stantly there followed a wild shriek of terror, as 
the spinster leaped from her chair, sending the 
innocent toad sprawling upon the floor. The 
strain was too much for Miss Arabella, and she 
properly collapsed, much to the consternation of 
the assembled women. 

By the time she was revived, Rodney, the cul¬ 
prit, was nowhere in sight. He had rescued his 
precious toad, and had fled from the house, greatly 
puzzled over the confusion which had been made 
over his simple action. Little did he know, much 
less care, that for years to come he would be 
considered a “bad boy” by many of the leading 
people of Hillcrest, and totally unfit to associate 
with other children of the parish. 

But Parson Dan and Mrs. Roy^] understood, 
and as they kissed him that night as he stood be¬ 
fore them in his little nightgown, they knew that 
there was nothing bad about him. In truth they 
were somewhat pleased that Miss Arabella had 
at last been jarred out of her rigid self-compla¬ 
cency. 


CHAPTER V 


CAPTAIN JOSH TAKES A HAND 

R ODNEY did not attend the country school 
until he was over seven years of age. It 
was more than a mile away, and the Royals could 
not bear the thought of the little lad walking 
the whole of that distance when he was but six. 
He had lost nothing, however, by not attending 
before. In fact he had gained much, for both 
Parson Dan and Mrs. Royal had carefully in¬ 
structed him so that when he did go to school he 
was far ahead of boys and girls of his own age. 

Rodney got on well with all the scholars except 
Sammie Dunker, who was eight years old, and 
a bully to all younger children. When hoys of 
his own age and older were around, Sammie was 
very quiet. But when they were not present he 
tyrannised over the little ones to such an extent 
that existence, especially during the dinner hour, 
became almost unbearable. He had knocked out 
several boys younger and smaller than himself, 
until at last there was no one left to dispute his 
authority. 

Rodney Royal, accordingly, was a new and 
55 


56 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


choice victim. Sammie knew all about him, as 
he had been freely and severely discussed at his 
home almost every day as far back as he could 
remember. Here, then, was a lawful prey, and he 
gloated over the stories he would have to tell to 
his father of what he had done to the waif. 

At noon-hour, the first day, Sammie made him¬ 
self very objectionable. He centred his attention 
upon Rod, for thus his name had now become 
shortened by every one except the Royals. Rod 
bore these attacks and insulting remarks as well 
as he could, and refrained from open hostility. 
But what Sammie had done and said rankled in 
his heart and mind for the rest of the^day, caus¬ 
ing him to lie awake for some time that night 
thinking it all over. 

He confided his thoughts to no one, however, 
but the next morning as he left for school, there 
was a new look of determination in his eyes, and 
he trudged along the road with head held high, 
and his shoulders thrown back, while occasionally 
his hands clenched hard together. 

For the first half of the noon-hour nothing 
happened. Whether Sammie divined Rod’s pur¬ 
pose is hard to say. Anyway, he devoted his at¬ 
tention to others, especially the little girls, whom 
he teased unmercifully. 

Rod watched this performance with interest, 
mingled with indignation. Twice he was tempted 
to interfere, but each time he hesitated and went 


CAPTAIN JOSH TAKES A HAND 57 


on with his play. But when at length one little 
girl began to scream with pain, he could control 
himself no longer. With flashing eyes he sprang 
toward the tormentor, and demanded that he 
should leave Nancy alone. 

For an instant only Sammie stared, amazed to 
think that any one would dare to be so bold with 
him. He then gave a laugh of contempt, and hit 
Rod full in the face. 

“That’s what ye git fer meddlm*,” he cried. 
‘‘Want some more, eh?” 

Rod staggered back at the blow, but imme¬ 
diately regaining himself, he sprang swiftly upon 
his antagonist. So unexpected was the attack, 
that Sammie was caught off guard, and ere he 
could raise a hand he received two black eyes, 
while his nose began to bleed profusely. With a 
howl of pain and rage, he tried to defend himself, 
but he could do nothing against that whirlwind 
of fists which was swirling against him. He en¬ 
deavoured to dodge and run away, but, catching 
his foot in the leg of a desk, he fell sprawling to 
the floor. 

By this time some of the older boys had arrived, 
who cheered lustily as they saw Sammie go down 
before his young opponent. They looked upon 
Rod with much interest, and worthy of their at¬ 
tention. In fact, he became quite a hero for the 
remainder of the day, while the defeated bully, 
with black eyes, and swollen nose, sat sullenly in 


58 


BOH OF THE LONE PATBOL 


his seat, keeping his head bent over his desk, and 
not daring to look any one in the face. When 
school was out he did not wait for his usual pranks, 
but hurried away home as speedily as possible. 

Rod said nothing at home about the incident at 
the school. He was afraid that Parson Han and 
Mrs. Royal would be angry if they learned that 
he had been fighting, especially with Sammie Hun¬ 
ker. And, besides, if he told he would have to 
explain what had led him into the affray, and he 
did not wish to tell that he had taken Nancy’s 
part. It would seem too much like boasting, and 
he had always disliked boasters who figured in 
some stories Mrs. Royal had read to him. 

Next morning as he walked along the road to 
school carrying his lunch-basket, he was in a dif¬ 
ferent mood from the previous day. Then he had 
the feeling of a soldier, with nerves high strung 
going into battle; now he was the victor, with the 
danger past and trouble over. He believed that 
Sammie would not bother him again*, and that 
the little girls would look up to him as their natu¬ 
ral protector. 

He was thinking of these things as he drew 
near the store. Behind him lumbered a large 
wagon, drawn by two horses. Tom Hunker, big 
and burly, held the reins, and as he caught sight 
of the little boy ahead, a scowl overspread his 
heavy face. Sammie had given his version of the 
fight in which Rod was entirely in the wrong. This 


CAPTAIN JOSH TAKES A HAND 59 


his parents believed, and, accordingly, were very 
angry. So as Tom now- beheld Rod, he thought 
it would be a smart thing to give him a great 
scare. 

Rod was walking at one side of the road, and 
just as the horses * heads were abreast of him, 
Tom drew them sharply to the left, at the same 
time yelling at the boy to get out of the way. 

Taken by surprise, Rod sprang into the ditch 
for safety, dropping his basket in his fright, which 
rolled beneath the horses’ feet. This so startled 
the nervous animals that they leaped quickly for¬ 
ward, and swerved to the right, thus bringing 
the hind wheel of the wagon against the sharp 
ends of a pile of cordwood near the road. There 
was a crash as two of the spokes were ripped from 
the hub by the impact, while the wood came tum¬ 
bling down into the road. 

With much difficulty Tom checked the horses, 
and then wild with rage, he turned upon the inno¬ 
cent lad, charging him with having frightened his 
team. 

“I didn’t,” Rod sturdily replied, coming close 
to the wagon, his eyes flaming with indignation. 
“You tried to drive over me, that’s what you 
did.” 

“How dare ye answer me!” Tom cried, white 
with wrath. “Ye young villain, ye’re nothin’ but 
a pauper, an’ should be in the Poor House, instead 
of livin’ with decent people. Ye don’t know who 


60 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


yer father an’ mother are, do ye? An’ no one 
else does, fer that matter. Ye wouldn’t own ’em 
if ye did.” 

Rod stood for an instant as if turned to stone. 
The flush left his cheeks, and his face grew very 
white. Then his small brown hands clenched hard, 
and he took a step closer to the wagon. 

“You lie!” he shouted. “How dare you say 
that!” 

With a roar Tom clutched the handle of his 
whip, and the lash suddenly cut the air with a 
swish. It circled Rod’s shoulders, sharply flicking 
his face, leaving a crimson streak upon the white 
left cheek. 

The lash had scarcely fallen ere a big form 
•hurled itself from the store platform, and bounded 
along the road. It was Captain Josh who had 
been an interested spectator of all that had taken 
place. His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, 
and the heavy stick in his right hand struck the 
ground harder than usual as he strode up to the 
wagon. 

“Ye coward!” he roared, coming between Rod 
and the irate teamster. “How dare ye strike a 
little lad like that!” 

“He scared me horses on purpose, an’ then 
sassed me,” was the surly answer. 

“None of yer lyin’, Tom Dunker,” and the cap¬ 
tain laid his left hand upon the top of the side¬ 
board, and shook it vehemently. “I saw the whole 


CAPTAIN JOSH TAKES A HAND 61 

affair, and don’t ye try any of yer lies on me.” 

“What business is it of yourn, anyway, Josh 
Britt? It ain’t your funeral, is it? You git out 
of this, an’ leave me alone!” 

“Not my funeral, eh? It might have been one 
fer the lad here, though, if you had yer way. I 
saw ye pull yer horses over to scare him, and 
when he spoke up to ye like a man, ye slashed 
him with yer whip. He didn’t sass ye, not a bit 
of it.” 

“Well, you’ll git the same, then, ye old fool,” 
and once more Tom raised his whip to strike. 

He was not dealing with a boy now, however, 
but with the strongest man in Hillcrest. Tom 
knew this, but in his rage he had thrown reason 
to the wind. With lightning rapidity Captain 
Josh reached up, caught Tom by the arm, and in 
a twinkling brought him sprawling upon the side 
of the road. With an ugly oath, the teamster tried 
to regain his feet, but he was helpless in the grip 
of the captain’s powerful arm. He writhed and 
cursed, but all in vain, and at length was forced 
to give up the struggle, and sat panting upon the 
road completely cowed. 

By this time several men from the store sur¬ 
rounded the contestants, who watched with much 
interest the subjection of Tom Dunker. To them 
Captain Josh paid no heed, but stood glowering 
over his victim. Wlien he saw that he was sub- 


62 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

dued he let go his grip, and stepped back a couple 
of paces. 

1 ‘Now, git up!” he demanded. 

As Tom made no effort to obey, the captain 
leaned forward, caught him once more in his 
mighty grip, and lifted him to his feet. 

“Stand there, ye wobbly-kneed cur!” he cried. 

“I’ll have the law of ye,” Tom wailed. “If 
there’s B-b-british justice, you’ll git it!” 

“H’m,” the captain snorted. “Ye talk about 
British justice. Ye may thank yer stars at this 
very minute that the law hasn’t its grip upon ye 
fer tryin’ to kill a harmless boy. But I’ll do it 
instead. I’ll be the British justice, judge, law¬ 
yers, jury, and the whole dang concern combined. 
Now, look here, Tom Dunker, you apologise to that 
youngster fer what ye did to him this momin’.” 

Tom’s face, livid with rage, took a darker tinge 
at this command. More on-lookers had now ar¬ 
rived, who jeered and hooted the unfortunate man. 
It was a great joke to see the boaster at length 
brought low by quaint old Captain Josh. Such a 
thing didn’t happen every day, and they could 
well afford to lose any amount of time to see the 
fun. But it was far from fun for the victim of 
their sport. He made one more effort to assert 
himself, and turned furiously upon his captor with 
words and fists. But two hands gripped him now 
instead of one, and he was brought down upon 


CAPTAIN JOSH TAKES A HAND 63 


the road with such a bang that he yelled with pain, 
and pleaded for mercy. 

“Mercy, d’ye ask?” the captain growled. 
1 ‘ There ’ll he no mercy shown to the like of you 
till ye do what I say. Yer son got settled yester¬ 
day fer actin’ the bully, and you’ll git far worse 
to-day if ye don’t hurry and do as I tell ye.” 

“What d’ye want me to say?” Tom moaned. 

“Say? Say what ye like, only let it he a decent 
apology. Tell the boy that ye’re sorry, and that 
sich a thing won’t happen again, that’s all.” 

Rod had been a silent and interested spectator 
of all that had taken place. At first he could not 
understand the meaning of the captain’s words. 
But when it suddenly dawned upon his mind, he 
sprang quickly forward. 

“I don’t want him to do it!” he cried. 

“Don’t want him to do what?” exclaimed the 
astonished captain. 

“ ’Pologise. I don’t want him to say he’s 
sorry.” 

“Why not, lad?” 

“ ’Cause he isn’t.” 

“How d’ye know that?” 

“His face and eyes say he isn’t. If I was 
sorry for anything, you wouldn’t have to make 
me ’pologise. I’d be only too glad to do it.” 

There was a dead silence when Rod finished 
speaking, for all were now anxiously waiting to 
see what would follow. Even Captain Josh, al- 


64 


BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


ways so ready with his tongue, was at a loss for 
words. He stared first at Bod and then at Tom. 

“Well, I never!” he at length ejaculated. 
“What d’ye want me to do with him, then?” and 
he pointed to the man upon the ground. 

“Let him go,” Rod quickly replied. “He 
doesn’t want to ’pologise, and I don’t want him to 
do it, so there.” 

“All right, then,” the captain assented, “I’ll 
do as ye say. Git up, Tom Dunker, and git out of 
this. When ye say yer prayers to-night—that is, 
if ye say them, which I doubt—thank the Lord 
that ye got out of this scrape without any bones 
broken.” 

With that, Captain Josh picked up his stick, and 
started for home, while the on-lookers went back 
to the store to discuss Tom Dunker’s defeat. 


CHAPTER VI 


A NEW FRIEND 

R OD was late for school, and received a tardy- 
mark. The teacher also spoke quite sharply, 
and told him that school opened at nine instead of 
a quarter after. At any other time Rod would 
have felt keenly this reprimand. But now it did 
not trouble him, as he had other things to think 
about. He was very quiet during the morning, 
and joined in none of the games. Sammie Dunker 
left him alone, and for once the small girls and 
boys had peace. 

Rod gave hardly a thought to Tom Dunker’s ac¬ 
tion in frightening him. It was what he had said 
about the Poor House, and his father and mother 
which worried him. 4 * What did he mean?” he 
asked himself over and over again. Why did he 
say that I should go to the Poor House instead of 
living with decent people, and that I wouldn’t own 
my parents if I knew them? His brain grew hot 
as he brooded over these words. Other children 
had their fathers and mothers with them, and why 
was it that he had never seen his, and knew 
nothing about them? Mrs. Royal had told him 
65 


66 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


that his mother was living, and several times she 
had read her letters to him. But she was a vague 
person, one he had never seen, and in whom he 
had no special interest. The Royals, and the peo¬ 
ple he knew in Hillcrest were of more importance 
to him than his own mother. But now a desire 
entered his soul to know something about his 
parents. Were they bad people? he asked him¬ 
self. Why did they not come to see him? Were 
they ashamed to do so? he wondered, and was 
that what Tom meant? 

As noon approached, Rod began to feel hungry. 
He had eaten very little breakfast, as he had been 
too much interested in a new family of kittens 
which had been discovered in the barn. The other 
scholars who had come some distance would have 
their dinner, and he could not bear the thought 
of seeing them eating when he was so hungry. 
He, therefore, planned to spend the hour by him¬ 
self down by the river. 

As the children flocked out of school, Rod moved 
with them. But the teacher stopped him, and 
handed to him a small parcel, neatly tied. 

“What’s that?” Rod asked, much surprised. 

“I do not know,” was the reply. “Some one 
left it here this morning.” 

Then Rod remembered that he had heard a 
knock, and the teacher had gone to the door, re¬ 
turning shortly with something in her hand. He 


A NEW FRIEND 67 

had not seen the visitor, and so had soon forgot¬ 
ten all about the incident. 

Going back to his seat, he untied the string, and 
unwrapped the brown paper. Then great was his 
surprise to find a dainty lunch lying within. There 
were several slices of choice home-made bread, 
two pieces of cake, a large wedge of pumpkin-pie, 
and a fine rosy apple. 

For a few moments Rod sat staring at the feast 
before him. Who could have sent it ? he wondered. 
Then all at once he remembered. It was the apple 
which solved the problem, and he knew that there 
was only one tree in the neighbourhood which 
produced such fruit as that. He had often seen 
the tree from the road, but had never dared to 
venture near, as it was too close to Captain Josh’s 
house. He knew now where the lunch had come 
from, and it made him so excited that for awhile 
he forgot to eat as he sat there thinking it all 
over. 

When Rod went home from school, Mrs. Royal 
noticed the crimson mark upon his cheek where 
the whip had struck him. She asked no ques¬ 
tions, however, for she wanted Rod to tell of his 
own free will how it happened. It was after he 
was in bed, that the boy looked up inquiringly into 
Mrs. Royal’s face, as she stood by his side before 
bidding him good-night. 

“Grandma,” he began, “what is a pauper?” 

“Oh, it is a person who has no home, and no 


68 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

money, and has to live upon others,’’ was the 
reply. 

“Am I a pauper, grandma?” and the hoy’s face 
flushed. 

4 ‘You a pauper!” Mrs. Royal exclaimed, as she 
sat down upon a chair by the side of the bed. 
“What makes you ask such a question, dear? 
Whoever put such an idea into your head?” 

‘ ‘ Tom Dunker said that I am a pauper. ’ ’ 

“He did! When did he tell you that?” 

“To-day, just before he hit me with his whip 
and made the mark upon my cheek.” 

“Oh!” 

It was all that Mrs. Royal could say. She had 
become suddenly aroused, feeling sure that some¬ 
thing of a serious nature had happened that day. 

“Why did he call you a pauper, dear?” she at 
length asked as calmly as possible. 

“ ’Cause I told him I didn’t scare his horses, 
and make them jump. He got mad, and said I 
was a pauper, and should be in the Poor House in¬ 
stead of living with decent people. And he said 
that I didn’t know who my father and mother 
are, and that I would be ashamed of them if I did, 
that’s what he said.” 

Into Mrs. Royal’s eyes came an expression of 
deep concern, mingled with indignation. 

“You poor boy,” she soothed, taking his little 
left hand in hers. “You have had great trou¬ 
bles to-day, have you not?” 


A NEW FRIEND 69 

“But am I a pauper, grandma?” the boy in¬ 
sisted. 

“No, you certainly are not, dear.” 

“And I shouldn’t be in the Poor House?” 

“No, no. You are just where you should be, 
with grandad and me.” 

“And my father and mother are not bad, and 
I wouldn’t be ashamed of them if I saw them?” 

“No, not at all. I never heard of your father, 
so I think he must be dead. But I believe that 
your mother is a good, noble woman.” 

“Why doesn’t she come to see me, then?” 

“I do not know, dear. But she says that she 
will come some day. She longs to see you, and 
in every letter she writes she asks so many ques¬ 
tions about you. I have read some of them to 
you. She wrote many when you were very little, 
and I have kept every one.” 

“Have you, grandma? I am so glad. Will you 
read them to me sometimes?” 

“Yes, dear, I shall read you one or two every 
night.” 

‘ 4 Oh, that will be so nice. And I am glad that 
Tom Dunker was wrong. He didn’t know about 
my mother, did he?” 

“No, dear.” 

“Do you think Captain Josh knows, grandma?” 

“Why, what makes you think that, Rodney?” 

“ ’Cause he was so kind to me to-day. He 


70 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

took my part, and then brought me such a nice 
lunch/ ' 

44 Brought you a lunch!'' Mrs. Royal exclaimed, 
in surprise. 4 4 What do you mean ? 9 9 

4 4 Well, you see, when the horses ran over the 
dinner you gave me this morning it was all 
knocked out in the road, and I had nothing to eat, 
so Captain Josh brought me such a nice lunch / 9 

44 Did you see him?” 

44 No, I didn't. But there was a big rosy apple, 
and I know where it came from. It grew on that 
tree right by the captain's house/' 

Mrs. Royal sat very still for some time. She 
was thinking over what Rod had just told her. 
Tom Dunker's action troubled her, and she 
thought how mean it was for him to take revenge 
on a little child for what her husband had done. 
But there was compensation, for Captain Josh's 
kindness interested her greatly. No one had been 
able to understand the old man, and every one 
dreaded him. That he had defended Rodney, and 
then had taken a lunch for him all the way to the 
schoolhouse was something unusual. 

For some time she sat there, and when she at 
last rose to go downstairs to meet her husband, 
who had just returned home, Rod was fast asleep. 
His cares for the present were over, and as Mrs. 
Royal watched the little curly head lying upon 
the pillow, she gave a deep sigh as she bent over 
and kissed him. Must he go through life handi- 


A NEW FRIEND 


71 


capped? she asked herself, for no fault of his 
own? Would he always be looked upon as a waif, 
an ill-starred child, and in the eyes of the world, 
a pauper? 

Parson Dan had come in from a long drive from 
the outmost portion of his large parish. He was 
tired and hungry, and enjoyed the supper which 
was awaiting him. It was then that his wife told 
him about Rod’s experience during the day. The 
clergyman was deeply interested, and when sup¬ 
per was over, he rose from the table, and instead 
of taking his pipe, as was his usual habit, he 
reached for his coat and hat. 

11 Why, where are you going, Daniel ? ’ ’ his wife 
asked, in surprise. 

“I must see Captain Josh,” was the reply. “I 
want to hear the whole story of to-day’s transac¬ 
tions, and to thank him for what he did for our 
boy. I have never known Rodney to deceive us. 
But this is such a serious affair, that I must hear 
the story from some one else who knows.” 

He was about to open the door when a loud 
knock sounded on the outside. When it was 
opened, great was his astonishment to see the very 
person they had been talking about standing be¬ 
fore him. 

“Captain Josh! This is a surprise,” and the 
clergyman held out his hand. 

“Evenin’, parson,” was the gruff reply. 
“Thought I’d make a little call on you and the 


72 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


missus,’’ and lie thumped his stick heavily upon 
the floor as he entered. 

Mrs. Royal came quickly forward, shook hands, 
and offered the visitor a big comfortable chair. 

“My, that feels good,” the captain exclaimed. 
“I ain’t as young as I used to be, and that walk 
has puffed me a good deal.” 

“How would a smoke suit you?” the parson 
suggested, knowing the captain’s fondness for his 
pipe. “I have some good tobacco here, sent from 
the city by an old friend of mine. ” 

“He certainly is a good judge of baccy,” the 
captain remarked, after he had filled and lighted 
his pipe. “A friend like that is worth knowin’, 
eh?” and he slyly winked at Mrs. Royal. 

“We have many such friends, I am thankful to 
say,” Mrs. Royal replied, “and we don’t have to 
go to the city for them, either.” 

“No? Well, I’m real glad to hear that,” and 
the captain blew a big cloud of smoke into the 
air. “I never made many friends in my life. 
Guess I was too cranky; at any rate, that’s what 
Betsey says, and I guess she must understand 
me by this time, ha, ha! ” 

“You must not judge yourself too harshly, cap¬ 
tain,” Parson Dan replied. “Anyway, if you 
don’t make many friends, you are able at times to 
be a friend to others. I wish to thank you for 
what you did for our little boy to-day. ’ ’ 


A NEW FRIEND 


73 


“So ye’ve heard all about it, eh?” and the cap¬ 
tain fixed his keen eyes upon the parson’s face. 

‘ ‘ Only partly, captain. Rodney told Mrs. Royal 
some of the story this evening, and I was just go¬ 
ing over to hear it all from you as you entered.” 

“It was a mean trick that Tom Dunker tried on 
him to-day,” the visitor returned, “and I’m sorry 
that I didn’t give the coward a bigger dose than 
I did. Oh, how he did squawk when I got both of 
my hands upon his measly carcass. I guess him 
and that boy Sammie of his will learn to leave de¬ 
cent people alone after this. ’ ’ 

“Why, what about Sammie?” the Royals asked. 

i ‘ W bat! haven’t ye heard ? ’ ’ 

“Ino, not a word.” 

“Well, if that doesn’t beat all! And Rod never 
told ye?” 

“He said nothing to us about Sammie.” 

Captain Josh looked first at the clergyman and 
then at Mrs. Royal with an expression of doubt 
in his eyes. 

“And so ye say he didn’t tell ye anything?” he 
finally blurted out, while his stick came down with 
a bang upon the carpet. “If any one else had said 
that I wouldn’t believe him. To think of a boy 
doin’ what he did and not rushin’ home all ex¬ 
cited, and blattin’ out his yam. But, then, I al¬ 
ways knew there was extra stuff in that lad. I 
have had my eyes on him ever since the mornin’ I 
gave him a cow, ho, ho! ” and the captain leaned 


74 


-BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


back and laughed heartily as the recollection of 
the 4 4 cow incident” came back to him. 4 4 That was 
my first present,’’ he continued, “but it isn’t my 
last, not by a long jugful, no, sir-ree.” 

“But what did Rodney do, captain?” the par¬ 
son enquired. “We are very anxious to hear.” 

“Do! What did he do, eh? Why, he walked 
right over Sammie Dunker, that’s what he did. 
Oh, I heard all about it at the store that very 
night. Sammie has been a regular chip of the old 
Dunker block ever since he started fer school. 
He bullied all the little chaps, and had them all 
scared to a shadder. But when he butted up 
aginst Rod it was a different proposition, ho, ho! 
I’d like to have been there.” 

“Do you mean that Rodney was fighting Sam¬ 
mie Dunker?” the clergyman asked, with a note 
of severity in his voice. 4 4 1 am astonished. ’ ’ 

4 4 Oh, no, there was no fightin’, parson. Sam¬ 
mie didn’t fight; that’s not the Dunker way. But 
he hurt little Nancy Garvan, and when Rod told 
him to stop, he slapped him in the face. Rod 
then walked into liim and gave him two black 
eyes, a bloody nose, and left him sprawlin’ upon 
the floor. That was all there was about it. Oh, no, 
there was no fightin’.” 

“H’m, I see,” Parson Dan quietly remarked, 
while a slight gleam of pride shone in his eyes. 
He glanced toward his wife, but her head was 


A NEW FRIEND 75 

bent over some sewing she had picked up from 
the table. 

“I’ve been watcliin’ that boy of yours fer some 
time,” the captain continued, “and he’s the right 
stuff. I know more about him than ye think. 
I’d ’a’ given my cow to have seen him put that 
toad into Bella Simpkins’ lap, ho, ho, ho! That 
was the best thing I ever heard, ha, ha, ha!” 

‘ ‘ But some of the neighbours think it was sheer 
badness which made him do it,” Mrs. Royal re¬ 
plied. 

“I know they do, confound their skins!” the 
captain roared, springing to his feet in his ex¬ 
citement. 1 ‘ Haven’t I heard it on all sides ? They 
twist every blessed thing he does into badness, 
and then account fer it all by sayin’ that he is a 
pauper. But, by jinks! there isn’t an ounce of 
badness about that boy. I’ve taken an interest in 
him simply because—well, mebbe I’m a cranky 
cuss—and when I see people down on a lad, I like 
to take his part. And look here, parson, I’m 
givin’ warnin’.” 

“What warning?” questioned the clergyman, 
shrinking back from the huge fist which was sud¬ 
denly thrust toward his face. 

“Warnin’ to you, parson, not to bury any one I 
knock out who interferes with that lad of yours. 
It’ll be sich a clear case of suicide that ye won’t 
dare to read the Burial Service over him. Every¬ 
body knows now that I’ve taken that boy under 


76 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


my care, and if any one runs aginst my fists it 
won’t be an accident, but a clear case of self-de¬ 
struction, and it won’t be necessary to hold an in¬ 
quest.” 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Royal smiled at the cap¬ 
tain’s quaint expression of loyalty to Rodney. 

“I trust there’ll be no more trouble,” the clergy¬ 
man replied. * ‘ Come, fill up your pipe again. My 
city friend would be delighted to know that Rod¬ 
ney’s able champion enjoyed the tobacco he sent.” 

* ‘Well, I don’t care if I do,” and the captain 
knocked the cold ashes out of his pipe. “I’ll fill 
up, and then git home. But there is one thing I 
want to ask ye, and that’s what brought me over 
here to-night. Me and Betsey are pretty lonely 
at times. We never see a child around the house, 
and we’d both consider it a special favour if ye’d 
let yer boy come to see us once in awhile. ’ ’ 

“Why, certainly,” the parson replied. “I give 
my consent, and I feel sure that you will, won’t 
you?” and he turned to his wife. 

“Yes, captain, I am quite willing for Rodney 
to go, and it is very thoughtful of you to want 
him. I hope that he will behave himself.” 

“No fear of that,” the captain eagerly re¬ 
turned. “I’ve got some fine apples jist waitin’ fer 
him, and several other things to surprise him 
when he comes. So, good-night, I must be gittin’ 
along.” 


CHAPTER VII 


CHUMS 

I T was a beautiful Saturday morning, and Cap¬ 
tain Josh was busy in his little work-shop at 
the side of his house. He was in a hurry, and 
his big hands moved swiftly and deftly as he cut 
the cotton or tied a piece of string. Once or twice 
he stepped back to view his work, and then a 
pleased expression appeared upon his face. Oc¬ 
casionally his eyes turned toward the little win¬ 
dow above the work-bench until they rested upon 
the road, leading from the main highway to his 
house. The captain was expecting company, and 
this was something remarkable at “The Anchor¬ 
age,’’ the name of the snug cottage by the river¬ 
side. 

Within the house Mrs. Britt, too, was busy, and 
as she moved about the kitchen, her step was 
lighter than it had been for years. She had just 
finished making a batch of doughnuts, not the 
lean kind, mostly holes, but big fat ones, coated 
with sugar, like thick frost upon the window pane 
in winter. She was now making apple pies, the 
77 


78 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


kind where the juice runs out into the oven, and 
some of it sticks to the plate. 

Mrs. Britt was known throughout the parish 
as an excellent cook, though of late years few 
people were ever allowed the privilege of tasting 
her dainties. This was her husband’s fault, and 
not hers. She was naturally of a sociable dispo¬ 
sition, and fond of company. But Captain Josh’s 
crankiness had antagonised every person in Hill- 
crest, and it was Mrs. Britt who suffered the 
most. But she was loyal to her husband, and if 
people would not come to her home, she would not 
go to theirs. 

At one time Captain Josh had been the most 
agreeable of companions, and his return from a 
voyage was always a red-letter day in the parish. 
His ringing laugh was heard at the store, and 
every evening his house was filled with neighbours, 
who dropped in to have a smoke, and listen to the 
yarns of the old seaman. 

But two events coming close together produced 
a great change in the captain. One was the ab¬ 
sence of his only son, Jimmy, who had gone far 
away to the northland, and never wrote home to 
his parents. The other, was the loss of his vessel, 
the Flying Queen, a three-masted schooner, which, 
loaded with a valuable cargo, lost her bearings, 
and went ashore in a heavy fog. Owing to Cap¬ 
tain Josh’s excellent past record, the shipping 
company was most lenient. He was permitted to 


CHUMS 


79 


retire with a moderate allowance. This amount, 
together with what he obtained from his few acres 
of land, and the fish and the fnr he took, was quite 
sufficient to keep him and his wife in moderate 
comfort. 

The loss of his vessel, followed by his retire¬ 
ment, was a severe blow to the captain. He was 
too old to take command of another ship for new 
owners, and he chafed at his enforced stay on land. 
He longed for the sea, for nowhere else did he 
feel so much at home. His pride was hurt as 
well. He felt keenly the humiliation, and he be¬ 
lieved that his neighbours laughed at him behind 
his back. Thus for years he brooded over his 
troubles until they became a vital part of his very 
being, and soured his former jolly disposition. 

There was one redeeming feature, however, to 
Captain Josh, and that was his intense sympathy 
for any unfortunate creature, whether man or 
beast. Let any dumb brute be abused, and it 
aroused the captain to intense indignation. And 
so when he found that most of the people in Hill- 
crest were turned against Parson Dan’s lad, 
simply because he was a waif, he naturally took 
an interest in the boy, which increased the more 
people talked. The climax to his interest was 
reached the day he took Rod’s part against Tom 
Dunker. 

On this Saturday morning Captain Josh had 
tied the last string, and cut off the ends close to 


80 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


the knot. He then glanced once more through the 
window, and his eyes brightened as he saw the 
little lad he was expecting not far from the 
house. 

Rod was not walking very fast, for he was on 
new, and hitherto forbidden ground, and, notwith¬ 
standing the invitation, he was not altogether sure 
of the reception he would receive. He was a trim 
looking lad in his well-fitting suit, as clean and 
neat as Mrs. Royal ’s hands could make it, while a 
large straw hat covered his curly hair. He wore 
neither shoes nor stockings, and his feet and legs 
were as brown as the sun could make them. 

Captain Josh was at the shop door to receive 
him. 

4 ‘Ye’re late, lad,” was his only greeting. 

“I’m sorry, captain,” was the reply, “but I 
had to go to the store for grandma. Oh!” and he 
stopped short as his eyes rested upon the fine full- 
rigged schooner sitting upon the work-bench. 

“How d’ye like it?” the captain asked, de¬ 
lighted at Rod’s interest. 

“Great!” and the boy stepped cautiously for¬ 
ward, as if afraid that the white sails were wings 
to bear the wonderful thing away. “Who made 
it?” he whispered. 

“Oh, some fool.” 

“You?” 

“What! d’ye call me a fool?” the captain 


CHUMS 81 

roared, looking so fierce that Rod shrank back a 
step. 

“No, no, no. I didn’t mean that. I only, I 
only-” 

“I know, lad, I know,” and the captain laughed 
heartily. “Ye didn’t mean any harm. Yes, I 
made her years ago fer another boy. She’s been 
lyin’ here a long time, and so t’other day I got 
her down, cleaned her up, and put on new sails, 
thinkin’ that perhaps ye might like her.” 

“What! For me?” Rod asked in surprise. 

“Sure, if ye’d like to have her.” 

Would Rod like to have her ? His eyes sparkled, 
and his hands trembled with excitement as he 
examined his treasure. What a wonder it was. 

“What’s her name?” he asked. 

“The Flyin 9 Queen, after the schooner I lost.” 

“Will she sail?” 

“Y’bet. Let’s launch her.” 

From the window Mrs. Britt watched the two 
as they walked down to the shore. She recalled 
the day, over twenty years ago, when another 
little lad had trotted as eagerly as Rod by the 
captain’s side, and it was to sail a small boat, too. 
Her eyes grew misty as her thoughts went back 
to that scene. But mingled with this sadness was 
a feeling of thankfulness that her husband had 
taken such a strong liking to Rod. Not since 
Jimmy left had he done such a thing, and 
she was hopeful that this child would uncon- 


82 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


seiously change him back to the genial big-hearted 
man he was when she married him. 

Rod was delighted with the Flying Queen, and 
wading in the water to his knees, he sailed her 
along the shore. The captain had a pickerel net to 
look after, which kept him busy for some time. 
But he missed scarcely anything that Rod was 
doing, and he was greatly pleased at the boy’s 
delight. 

“Pull her ashore now, lad,” he at length 
ordered, “and let’s go fer a sail.” 

“What, in the Roaring Bess?” Rod eagerly 
asked, as he glanced toward the yacht fretting 
gently at her anchor a short distance away. 

“Sure thing. Dinner won’t be ready fer an 
hour, so we’ll take a spin around fer awhile.” 

Rod could hardly believe his senses. How often 
he had looked upon the Roaring Bess from the 
respectable distance of the main road. To have 
a sail in her had been his one great ambition. 
While lying in bed he had often imagined him¬ 
self skimming over the water, with the sail, big 
and white, bending above him. Now his dream 
had really come true, and here he was at last 
sitting by Captain Josh’s side, watching him as 
he headed the boat upstream. A gentle breeze 
was drifting in from westward, sufficient to fill 
the sail and send the Roaring Bess speeding over 
the water. A deep sigh escaped Rod’s lips. 


CHUMS 83 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” the captain cried. 
“Gittin’ tired, and want to go home?” 

“Oh, no, no,” was the emphatic reply. “I 
sighed because I am so happy.” 

“H’m. That’s it, eh? I thought people gen¬ 
erally whistled or laughed when they are happy.” 

“Is that wdiat you do, Captain Josh, when 
you’re happy?” 

44 Me? I’m never happy.’’ 

“Why, I’d be happy all the time if I had a 
boat like this.” 

“Ye would? Well, take the tiller, then, while I 
fill me pipe.” 

A new thrill of joy swept through Rod’s en¬ 
tire being as he clutched the wooden handle and 
moved it to left or right as the captain ordered. 
Never did any commander in charge of the largest 
vessel feel greater pride than did the young helms¬ 
man. His face glowed, and his eyes sparkled with 
excitement, while the breeze tossed his wavy hair. 

Captain Josh watched him out of the corner 
of his eye as he puffed away at his short-stemmed 
pipe. 

“Ye’ll make a good sailor some day, lad,” he 
remarked. “Ye’ve got the eye fer sich business.” 

“That’s what I’m going to be,” was the reply. 
“I’ll be a captain, and have a big ship of my own. 
I’m going to call her the Boaring Bess, and I’ll 
take you along with me.” 

“I’d like to go well enough,” and the old man’s 


84 


BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


gaze wandered off into space, “but I guess my 
sailin’ days’ll be over by that time. But here 
we are back home again. Betsey 11 be waitin’ 
dinner fer us.” 

And what a dinner that was! Rod remembered 
it long afterwards, and how Mrs. Britt sat there 
smiling upon him, and urging him to have “just 
one more piece of pie, and another cruller.” Never 
before had he felt so important. He was the guest 
being treated with such respect. When holding 
the tiller that morning he had longed for Sammie 
Dunker and the rest of the boys to see him. So 
now, sitting near the bluff old captain and his 
wife, he desired the same thing. He felt quite sure 
that no other boy in the whole parish had been 
so honoured, and if his schoolmates ever heard 
of it, they would be sure to look upon him as a 
person of great importance. 

When dinner was over, Captain Josh pushed 
back his chair, filled and lighted his pipe. Rod 
was surprised that he did not return thanks when 
they were through, as was the custom at the rec¬ 
tory. 

“I’m very thankful for that dinner, Mrs. Josh,” 
he remarked. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, dear,” was the reply. 

“Yes, I did. It was so good that I want to 
thank God for it. Do you mind?” 

“No, certainly not,” and Mrs. Britt glanced 
anxiously toward her husband. But when she 


CHUMS 


85 


saw the captain take his pipe out of his mouth, 
and bow his shaggy head while the boy repeated 
the few words of thanks he had been taught, a 
feeling of gratitude came into her heart, her 
eyes became moist. ■ 

There was silence for a few minutes when Rod 
finished. The captain puffed at his pipe, while 
Mrs. Britt began to clear away the dishes. 

“Kin ye swim, lad?” Captain Josh suddenly 
asked, in his deep gruff voice. 

“No, I can’t,” was the somewhat nervous reply. 

“Ever been in the water?” 

“Oh, yes. Lots of times.” 

“And ye can’t swim. Well, ye’ll have to git 
over that if ye ’re round where I am. ’ ’ 

“Can you swim, Captain Josh?” Rod asked. 

“Ho, ho,” and the old man leaned hack in his 
chair and shook with laughter. “Kin I swim? 
Why, boy, I could swim before I was as old as 
you. When I was fifteen I could swim across the 
river.” 

“You could!” and Rod’s eyes shone with ad¬ 
miration. “Did you ever swim across the ocean, 
captain?” 

“Not quite, lad. Not quite that far.” 

“Well, then, I will some day, Captain Josh,” 
Rod cried, as he rose to his feet, and stood erect. 
“When I’m a man, I’ll swim across the ocean 
and back again before breakfast, see if I don’t.” 

“That’ll be quite an undertaking lad,” and the 


86 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


captain’s eyes twinkled. “I hope I’ll be standin’ 
on the shore when ye git back. I guess ye’ll have 
more cause fer thankfulness then than ye did after 
eat in’ yer dinner to-day. But come, ’ ’ and he rose 
sudSInly to his feet; “I want ye to help me put 
out my net. Ye must take a nice fresh pickerel 
home with ye when ye go.” 

What a wonderful afternoon that was to Rod! 
Most of the time was spent upon the water, and 
he received his first real instructions about the 
handling of the Roaring Bess, the ropes, sail, 
port and starboard, to say nothing of his lesson 
in splicing. There was also the swim in the little 
secluded cove, with the captain as an excellent 
teacher. Rod little realised that he was being 
thoroughly sounded as to his qualities and capa¬ 
bilities. 

‘ 4 Ye ’ll do, lad,” was the captain’s comment, 
when at last they came ashore. 4 We’re worth 
botherin’ with, I kin see that all right. If ye don’t 
know more’n yer master in a few months, I’ll be 
much surprised. So, there now, take this pickerel 
to yer grandma, and tell her that ye took it out 
of the net yerself, and don’t ferget to give her my 
compliments. ’ ’ 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE CHUMS TO THE RESCUE 

P ARSON DAN and Mrs. Royal were greatly 
interested in the story Rod had to tell them 
that evening of his experiences during the day. It 
seemed hardly possible that cranky Captain Josh 
could become such an interesting companion to a 
little boy. They discussed it for some time after 
Rod had gone to bed. 

“It is quite evident that the captain has taken 
a great fancy to Rodney/’ Mrs. Royal remarked, 
as she bent her head over some needlework she 
had in her hands. “But are you not a little 
anxious, Daniel V* 

i ‘ Anxious! About what ? ’ 1 the parson inquired, 
as he took his pipe from his mouth and looked 
questioningly at his wife. 

“Oh, about the influence he might exert upon 
our boy. Will it be for his good, do you think V 9 
“Umph!” and the clergyman blew a cloud of 
smoke into the air. “Don’t let that worry you, 
Martha. No harm will come to Rodney from this 
friendship. It will be just the opposite, I be¬ 
lieve, and he will influence the captain for good.” 
87 


88 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“But Captain Josh never comes to church, 
Daniel, so what will people say?” 

“Let them say, Martha. They will talk, any¬ 
way, and they might as well have something to 
talk about. It will create a little diversion. No 
doubt Miss Arabella Simpkins will consider it her 
bounden duty to come right here, and express her 
views. And suppose the captain doesn’t come to 
church, is that any reason why a little boy should 
shun him? It may be the means of making Cap¬ 
tain Josh see things in a different light. Perhaps 
the Lord has a hand in this, and who am I to 
interfere with His plans? He has often used 
children to lead men back to Him, and it may be 
that he is using Rodney now.” 

As the weeks and months passed, Captain Josh 
and Rod became firmer friends than ever, and 
scarcely a day passed that they were not together 
for a while. There were so many things for the 
boy to see and learn that his interest never waned. 
He was so happy when out on the river in the 
Roaring Bess, and ere long he knew all about 
the boat, and could steer her almost as well as the 
captain himself. 

When the fall settled in, and the weather became 
cold, the water was abandoned, and so the yacht 
was pulled out upon the stocks by means of a 
rude windlass. Here, covered with a large canvas, 
she remained during the long winter months, safe 


THE CHUMS TO THE RESCUE 89 


from the driving storms which often raged over 
the land. 

Then it was that the captain turned his atten¬ 
tion to trapping, which he had followed for several 
years. There were several big brooks flowing into 
the river, draining a large area of country, prin¬ 
cipally wooded, and these abounded with mink, 
raccoon, and other fur-bearing animals. The cap¬ 
tain was an expert, and knew the most likely 
places where game could be best taken. Rod at 
times went with him on his regular rounds to 
visit the traps, and it was always a great joy 
to the boy when he was allowed to carry back 
some furry prize which had been secured. 

Next to these trips, Rod’s chief delight was to 
sit before the big open fire on a cold or stormy 
Saturday afternoon, and listen to the captain as 
he told stories of his sea life, while he worked 
fixing up his traps, making stretchers for the 
pelts, or doing other odd jobs. How the boy’s 
heart would thrill, and his eyes sparkle with ani¬ 
mation as Captain Josh told of furious seas he 
had encountered, the dangers he had escaped, 
and the races he had made with other sailing-ves¬ 
sels. Sometimes he would tell an amusing tale, 
at which the boy would laugh in high glee. Often 
Rod would ask questions about the sailors, the sea- 
monsters, and the various ports the captain had 
visited. Sometimes they would pore over an old 
geography, while the captain pointed out with his 


90 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


big fore-finger the countries he had visited, and 
the routes he had taken. Rod was thus so well 
acquainted with certain countries that his teacher 
was much surprised at his knowledge. 

It was only natural that people should talk 
about this strange friendship between the rough 
old sea-captain and the little boy. How their 
tongues did wag, and many were the visits of pro¬ 
test paid to the rectory. The principal discussion, 
however, always took place at the regular meet¬ 
ings of the Ladies’ Aid Society. This was done 
most of all for Mrs. Royal’s benefit. She knew 
this, and with much self-restraint she resisted 
making any reply for some time. But at one meet¬ 
ing, when the criticism became extremely severe, 
she could stand it no longer. Mrs. Harmon had 
just been indulging in one of her long disserta¬ 
tions, and finished by asking the rector’s wife if 
she did not consider it very unbecoming for a 
small boy, and a waif at that, with no doubt bad 
blood in his veins, to be so much in the company 
of a rough creature like Captain Josh. He should 
be at home, studying his lessons and learning the 
Catechism. 

‘'Mrs. Harmon,” Mrs. Royal replied as calmly 
as possible, “I have listened for some time to 
the criticisms which you and others have made 
about our allowing Rodney to associate with Cap¬ 
tain Josh, and I think it is about time for me to 
say a word. Mr. Royal and I have talked over 


THE CHUMS TO THE RESCUE 91 


the matter very carefully, and we can see no 
harm in what is taking place. The captain has 
taken a remarkable fancy to the boy, and I know 
for certain that Rodney has received no harm 
from him. On the contrary, he has been bene¬ 
fited, for the captain has taught him many useful 
things. 

“As for his lessons, I wish to inform you all 
that Rodney has never neglected them, and you 
know as well as I do that he stands at the head 
of his class. He studies his Catechism, as well, 
which is more than I can say of most of the boys 
in this parish. I ought to know, as I have taught 
a class in the Sunday school for years. We had 
one boy of our own, remember,’ ’ here her voice be¬ 
came low, “and in our mistaken zeal for his wel¬ 
fare we intended to make him a model of perfec¬ 
tion. Instead of studying him, we studied our¬ 
selves. We never considered the nature of the 
child at all. We looked upon him as mere clay in 
our hands, and we tried to mould him in our own 
way. When, alas, it was too late we found that he 
had a will of his own, and when he became old 
enough he rebelled at our restrictions, and, oh, 
well, you know the rest. Now, we do not intend 
to make the same mistake with Rodney. He is a 
boy, with all the strange impulses of a boy’s rest¬ 
less nature. What you have called evil in him is 
merely childish enthusiasm. He is bubbling over 
with energy. It is our earnest desire to guide 


92 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


him along right channels, and not to break his 
will. Whether we shall do that or not, remains 
to be seen. Most of yon women here are mothers, 
and know the responsibility of bringing up chil¬ 
dren. I do not interfere with yon, and I now ask 
yon to be as considerate toward ns. I trust that 
henceforth all criticism will cease, especially at 
these meetings, where we are gathered together to 
carry on the Lord’s work.” 

When Mrs. Royal finished there was intense 
silence, and for once garrulous tongues were still. 
All felt that the rebuke was just, though it made 
them very angry. They were greatly surprised at 
Mrs. Royal’s boldness, as they had never heard 
her speak in such a decided way before. When 
at last they did find their voices, they talked of 
other things, and during the rest of the after¬ 
noon they never alluded to what the rector’s wife 
had said. But when once away from the meeting 
some of the women gave their tongues free scope, 
especially Mrs. Harmon, who felt keenly what 
Mrs. Royal had said. 

“I was never so mortified and offended in all 
my life,” she confided to Miss Arabella, as they 
walked along the road together. “ Just think of 
her talking that way, and she a clergyman’s wife, 
too.” 

“Umph!” and Miss Arabella tilted her nose 
higher than ever, “she talked mighty big to-day, 
but she’ll find out her mistake sooner than she ex- 


THE CHUMS TO THE RESCUE 93 


pects. Just think what she said about that horrid 
old captain, who can’t speak a civil word to any 
one. Why, he swears awful. I heard him say 
i dang hang it’ one time, and a man who uses such 
language as that is not a fit companion for a 
little boy.” 

Little did Captain Josh and Rod care what 
people said. Though months had now passed into 
years, their friendship was as firm as ever. 
Happy were they in each other’s company, and 
many were the trips they made up and down the 
river in the Roaring Bess . The captain had 
sturgeon nets in a cove five miles away from his 
own shore. Twice a day he visited these, and 
when Rod was on hand he went with him. The 
boy was always interested in the big fish which 
were often caught, and when they were some¬ 
times tethered in the shallow water near the 
Anchorage he felt sorry for the poor creatures. 

“I wonder if they mind it,” he once remarked 
to the captain. “Do you suppose they think of 
their little baby sturgeons, and how they are get¬ 
ting along?” 

“Guess they don’t bother much about it, lad,” 
was the reply. “They haven’t enough sense fer 
that. They are like a lot of people who are willin’ 
to be led around by the nose jist like that big 
feller out there. He is always swimmin’ around, 
but he gits nowhere. He soon comes to the end 


94 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


of his rope, and yet he keeps on swimmin’ the 
same as before.” 

The day this conversation took place, the wind 
was blowing in strong from the northwest, and 
the captain was making ready for a trip to his 
nets. Soon the boat was speeding up the river, 
with her sail full spread to the stiff breeze. Hav¬ 
ing reached the cove and taken a number of fish 
from the nets, they began to beat homeward. 
By this time the wind had increased in strength, 
and as they ran backwards and forwards across 
the river, they were continually washed by the 
waves which raced to meet them. 

‘ 4 Isn’t this great!” Rod exclaimed, as he nes¬ 
tled in the cock-pit, and held on firmly lest he 
should be swept overboard. “I was never out in 
such a breeze as this before.” 

The captain made no reply, though he gave a 
quick glance at the boy’s animated face. If Rod 
had been frightened, the old seaman would have 
been terribly disappointed. As for himself he 
was in his element, and he was reminded of the 
many times he had faced rough weather out on 
the mighty deep. The howling of the wind, and 
the dashing waves made the sweetest of music 
in his ears, and he was delighted that the boy, 
on whom he had set his affections, should feel as 
he did. 

They had just tacked and begun beating to the 
left, when the captain, glancing down the river, 


THE CHUMS TO THE EESCUE 95 


gave a start of surprise, and pointed with his 
finger to a small yacht in mid-stream, which was 
having a hard time in the wind. 

4 'She’s got too much sail fer a breeze like this,” 
he remarked. "If she isn’t well managed, she’ll 
go over. Now, look at that!” he cried, grasping 
the tiller with a firmer grip, so as to be ready 
for any sudden emergency. "My, that was a 
close call. A little more and she’d a been on her 
beam ends.” 

Hardly had he finished speaking, when a fu¬ 
rious squall struck the staggering yacht, and like 
a wounded eagle she reeled, and flopped her big 
sail into the rough water. With a roar which 
might have been heard a long distance off, the 
captain brought the Roaring Bess almost up to 
the teeth of the wind, and headed her for the 
wreck. How her sharp prow did tear through the 
waves, and at times she was almost smothered by 
the leaping water. But this course would not 
bring them to the overturned boat. It was neces¬ 
sary for them to tack once more, and as they 
drew near they could see people clinging fran¬ 
tically to the half-submerged yacht. The captain 
gave a loud shout of encouragement when he 
came within speaking distance. With much skill 
he handled his boat, and told Rod to be ready to 
give a hand when needed. With the Roaring Bess 
brought right up to the wind, she soon drifted 
alongside of the overturned yacht. There were 


96 


ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


five persons in the water, three men and two wom¬ 
en. With much difficulty the latter were dragged 
on board, and then the men followed. This ac¬ 
complished, without a word the captain headed 
his boat for the shore, while the drenched persons 
huddled in the cock-pit close to Rod. 

The latter had not been idle during this ex¬ 
citing rescue. He had taken a prominent part in 
helping the women on board, as the captain had 
been busy managing the yacht. But now he 
crouched back in his corner, somewhat abashed in 
the presence of the strangers. He watched them, 
nevertheless, especially the younger of the two 
women, a girl with a very beautiful face. Her 
long golden hair was tossed wildly about, and at 
times a shiver shook her body. But her eyes at¬ 
tracted him more than anything else. They were 
dark eyes, filled with an expression of tenderness 
and sympathy. When she turned them upon Rod 
his heart gave a bound such as he had never ex¬ 
perienced before. At that moment there was noth¬ 
ing he would not have done for her sake. He 
longed for something to happen that he might 
show her how brave he was, and that he might 
seem a hero in her eyes. 

Nothing unusual happened, however, for Cap¬ 
tain Josh steered the boat through all dangers, 
and drew up at last near the shore in front of his 
own house. Then to Rod’s surprise the strange 
men lifted the girl carefully out of the yacht into 


THE CHUMS TO THE RESCUE 97 


the tender, and when they had reached the shore, 
one of the men carried her in his arms up to the 
Anchorage. 

“Too bad she got hurt,” Rod mused, as he 
walked home, for it was getting late. “I wonder 
what happened to her.” 

That evening he told Parson Dan and Mrs. 
Royal all about his experience that afternoon, 
the wreck, and the girl who had been carried into 
the house. 

“I must go over in the morning and learn all 
about it,” the clergyman remarked when he had 
heard the story. * ‘ There may be something that I 
can do to help.” 

Rod lay awake for a long time that night. He 
could not get the girl with the golden hair and 
wonderful eyes out of his mind. When at last 
he did go to sleep, he dreamed that she was strug¬ 
gling in the water, and that he had jumped off 
the Roaring Bess to save her. 


CHAPTER IX 


WHYN 

N EXT morning Parson Dan and Rod started 
for the Anchorage. Rod was more quiet 
than usual, and walked along the road without 
any of his ordinary capers. His cheeks were 
flushed, and his eyes shone with excitement. His 
steps, too, were quick, and his companion found 
it difficult to keep pace with him. It was quite 
evident that he was in a hurry to see the girl who 
had been rescued from the river the previous 
day. 

Nearing the house, they heard some one ham¬ 
mering in the workshop. There they found the 
captain busily engaged upon something which 
looked like a chair. 

“Good morning, captain/’ was the parson’s 
cheery greeting. “You’ve turned carpenter, so 
I see.” 

“Poof!” and the captain gave a vigorous rap 
upon a nail he was driving into place, “it’s neces¬ 
sary to be every dang thing these days, with the 
world so full of idiots. It’s good there’s some¬ 
body who kin turn his hand to anything. It’s 
98 


WHYN 99 

the fools who make so much work fer honest 
folks.’ ’ 

“Why, what’s up now?” the parson queried. 

“Ye’d better ask 'what’s down?’ It’s that little 
lass in yon, down in bed, because some numb¬ 
skulls thought they could sail a boat. I told ’em 
this mornin’ what I thought of ’em fer takin’ a 
gal like that out on the water, an’ they went off 
in a huff.” 

“How is she this morning, captain? Rodney 
told me all about the accident, and so we have come 
to make inquiries.” 

“Oh, she’s all right, considerin’ what she went 
through. She’s all clewed down now and ridin’ 
easy. Guess she’ll be there fer some time. Want 
to see her?” 

“Yes, if she’s able to be seen.” 

“Able! Why, she’s the fittest one of the 
bunch as fer as her mind is concerned. I want to 
git this chair fixed up fer her as soon as possible. 
Go right in. I guess ye’ll find Betsey in the 
kitchen. ’ ’ 

Mrs. Britt pleasantly received her visitors, and 
introduced the clergyman to Mrs. Sinclair. The 
latter was a woman of striking appearance. Her 
face, of considerable strength and refinement, 
was marked by lines of care. But it was her eyes 
which attracted Parson Dan’s special attention 
as he shook hands with her, and inquired after 
her daughter. 


100 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Oh, Whyn came out of the affair the best of 
all,” and a smile illumined Mrs. Sinclair’s face. 
“I was greatly worried about her last night, but 
she seems none the worse for her experience. 
Would you like to see her? I am afraid you will 
find her a regular little chatter-box.” 

Mrs. Sinclair said not a word to Rod, in fact 
she had hardly noticed him. He remained stand¬ 
ing in the middle of the room after the others had 
left, twirling his cap in his nervous hands. He 
wanted to see the girl, too, but he had not been 
invited, and he felt indignant. He had the first 
right to go, so he told himself, for he had helped 
to rescue her. He thought of going out to the 
workshop and talking it all over with the captain. 
He dismissed the idea, however, and perching 
himself upon a chair, waited to see what would 
happen. 

It seemed a long time to him before the others 
came out of the girl’s room, but in reality it was 
only a few minutes. There was a smile upon the 
clergyman’s face as he turned to the boy. 

“You’re the favoured one this morning, Rod¬ 
ney,” he said. “The princess wants to see you. 
She hasn’t much use for us older people.” 

This was astonishing news^ to Rod, and his 
knees felt weak as he walked across the floor, and 
entered the room. He paused when just inside, 
and stared in amazement at the vision before him. 
There, lying upon a little cot, was the most won- 


WHYN 


101 


derful person he had ever beheld. Could it be 
possible that this was the same girl he had seen all 
drenched with water the day before? Her hair 
was flowing over the white pillow like a shining 
stream of gold. At this moment it was touched by 
the sun from the southeast window, which added 
much to the entrancing effect. And then those 
eyes! They seemed to read him through and 
through. But they were laughing eyes now, spark¬ 
ling with interest and amusement. 

Rod stood very still, uncertain what to do. So 
this wonderful girl was a princess, he said to 
himself. He never dreamed of such a thing when 
he first saw her the day before. He knew some¬ 
thing about princes and princesses, for Mrs. Royal 
had often read to him stories about such people. 
So this girl was one of them. He had no doubt 
about it, for Parson Dan had called her a princess. 
What should he do? The books told how people 
got down on their knees to princesses, and kissed 
their hands. Ah, that was the right thing for him 
to do now. 

Stepping quickly forward, he knelt by the side 
of the bed, and seizing the girPs right hand which 
was lying upon the counterpane, he pressed it to 
his lips. A merry ringing laugh followed this 
action, which caused Rod to start and lift his head. 
Was the princess laughing at him? Perhaps he 
had made some foolish blunder, and she was mak¬ 
ing fun of him. 


102 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Oh, you queer boy, what did you do that for?” 
and again the girl laughed. 

“Didn’t I do it right?” Rod asked, as he sprang 
to his feet and stood straight before her. 

“Do what right?” and the girl looked her sur¬ 
prise. 

‘ ‘ Kneel, and kiss your hand. They all do that . 9 9 

“All who?” 

“The people in the stories. They always kiss 
the hand of a princess when they meet her.” 

“But I’m not a princess.” 

“You’re not! Grandad said you are, and I 
guess he knows.” 

“Ho, ho, isn’t that funny?” and the girl’s hearty 
laugh again rang out. “I’m no princess; I’m just 
plain Whyn Sinclair. Your grandfather must 
have been joking. It must he nice to have a 
grandfather like that. His eyes are just full of 
fun. Sit down, and tell me about him.” 

“He isn’t my grandfather,” Rod replied, as he 
took his position upon the edge of a chair close 
to the bed. He was feeling more at home now in 
the presence of this beautiful girl, since she was 
not a princess. 

“He isn’t your grandfather!” 

“No. I haven’t any real grandfather, and I 
never saw my father or mother.” 

“You didn’t! Oh, you poor boy.” 

“No. I’m only a waif, that’s what they call 
me. I was left at the door of the rectory one 


WHYN 


103 


night a long time ago when I was a little baby, 
and Mr. and Mrs. Royal have taken care of me 
ever since.’’ 

“How lovely!” and Whyn clasped her thin 
white hands together. 

“Lovely! What do you mean?” 

“Oh, it’s so romantic.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Just like you read about in stories. Maybe 
your father and mother are a real prince and 
princess, or some other great persons, and you 
were stolen away from them when you were a baby 
by cruel people. What a story that will make. I 
shall write about it at once.” 

“A story!” and Rod’s eyes opened wide in sur¬ 
prise. “What are you going to write?” 

“You see, I’m an authoress, or rather, I’m going 
to be one some day. I lie in bed and think out such 
lovely stories. But this is something real, not a 
bit like the others. I am going to make so much 
money, that I shall be able to help mamma, and 
she won’t have to worry as she does.” 

“What makes her worry?” Rod queried. 

“She worries about me. I can’t walk, and have 
to lie in bed all the time. It costs so much for 
doctors’ bills, and though mamma never says a 
word to me, I can tell what’s troubling her. Now, 
I have a secret, and I am going to tell it to you, 
if you promise that you won’t say a word to any 
one about it. ’ ’ 


104 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“What is it?” 

“You won’t tell?” 

“Don’t know until I hear what it is.” 

“Oh, well, I’ll have to keep it to myself, then,” 
and the girl gave a sigh of disappointment. “I 
was hoping that you would promise, for it would 
be so nice to relieve my mind by telling some one.” 

“Maybe I’ll promise afterwards,” Rod replied. 

“That might do,” Whyn mused, as she lay very 
still and looked far off through the window. “Yes, 
I guess that will do. You see, I once heard the 
doctor in the city say that I must go to a specialist, 
and maybe he could cure me. ’ ’ 

“What’s a specialist?” Rod questioned. “I 
never heard of it before.” 

“It’s a doctor in some big city like New York, 
who knows so much. He might be able to make 
me better, if I could only go to see him.” 

6 ‘ Why don’t you go, then ? ’ ’ 

“I can’t,” and a slight shade passed over the 
girl’s sunny face. “It takes a lot of money, and 
we are poor. Mamma plays the organ in St. 
Barnabas Church on Sundays, and gives music 
lessons through the week. But it takes so much to 
pay doctor bills.” 

“Where’s your father?” Rod asked. 

“ He’s dead. He died when I was a little baby. ’ ’ 

“Oh!” Rod was all sympathy now. So this 
girl was an orphan, something like himself, with 
a mother but no father. 


WHYN 


105 


“I have one brother/’ Whyn explained. “He 
is older than I am. He is at Ottawa now, work¬ 
ing for the Government. He helps us all he can, 
but he has been there such a short time that he 
can’t do much yet. He will after awhile, though, 
for Douglas is so good.” 

“Is that your brother’s name?” 

“Yes. I miss him so much, for we always 
played together, and he used to read to me, and 
wheel me about the house.” 

“Have you told him your secret?” Rod in¬ 
quired. 

“Not yet. I want to surprise him. You see,” 
here she lowered her voice, and glanced toward 
the door, “I am going to write a story.” 

“Oh!” Rod’s eyes grew suddenly big. 

“Yes, a real story, which has been in my mind 
for some time. I am going to change it now and 
bring you into it. There were some parts I could 
not work out, but now I know. I shall make you 
a boy scout, a patrol leader, who rescues a cripple 
girl from the river.” 

“What’s a boy scout?” Rod queried. 

“Didn’t you ever hear of the scouts?” and 
Whyn looked her. surprise. 

“No. Never heard of them before.” 

“Well, isn’t that funny, and you a boy, too.” 

“Guess they can’t be much,” Rod replied, some¬ 
what nettled. “Grandad and Captain Josh know 


106 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


about most everything, and if they haven’t heard 
of them they can’t be of much account.” 

“But they are,” Whyn insisted. “Douglas 
was a patrol leader, and he told me what they did. 
They met in the school-room of our church, and 
had such a great time. They had a supper, too, 
every month, and when that was over they sang 
songs and played games. ’ ’ 

“Is that all they did?” 

4 ‘ Oh, no. They had to work hard, for they had 
to learn so many things. To get the tenderfoot 
badge, they had to know the scout law, how to 
tie knots, and a whole lot about the flag.” 

“H’m, I guess I know about knots,” and Rod 
gave his head a superior toss. “Captain Josh 
taught me about them.” 

“But did he teach you how to help people who 
cut themselves, or break their arms, or if some 
one falls into the water, how to bring him back 
to life?” 

“Why, no! Can the scouts do that?” 

“Sure they can. I know of a scout who 
jumped off a wharf, and rescued a little girl. 
When he had her out of the water he brought 
her back to life, when everybody else thought that 
she was dead.” 

“Gee!” It was all that Rod could say, for he 
was becoming deeply interested now. 

“And they learn more than that,” Whyn con¬ 
tinued. “They talk with flags.” 


WHYN 107 

c ‘ Talk with flags! I never heard of flags talking, 
and I don’t believe it.” 

“Oh, I don’t mean that flags talk,” and Whyn 
laughed outright. * 1 The scouts use flags for talk¬ 
ing to one another when they are some distance 
apart; it is called ‘ signalling. ’ ’ ’ 

“How do they do it?” 

“Well, one boy will stand, say on a hill, while 
another is somewhere else, and each has two little 
flags. They wave these and whichever way a flag 
is waved it means a letter. I did know all the let¬ 
ters myself once, for Douglas taught me. In that 
way the scouts can talk with one another as 
far as they can see. Soldiers send messages that 
way, so I understand, and they can warn one an¬ 
other when an enemy is near.” 

‘ 1 My, I would like to know that, ’ ’ and Rod gave 
a deep sigh. “I wonder if Captain Josh knows 
anything about it. I am going to ask him, any¬ 
way.” 

“There are many other things the scouts have 
to learn,” Whyn explained, “and they are very 
important.” 

“What are they?” 

“I don’t exactly know. But there is a book 
which tells all about them. Douglas told me that 
a scout must do a good turn every day.” 

“What’s that?” 

“It is to do a kind act of some kind. I know of 
one boy who looked after the baby so that his 


108 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


mother could go out for awhile. Another rescued a 
poor little kitten from some cruel boys who were 
teasing it. When I write my story with you in it, 
your good turn will be the rescuing a girl from 
the water just like you did yesterday. I hope to 
sell the story and make so much money that I shall 
be able to go to the specialist in New York.” 

“What are you going to call the boy?” Rod 
asked. 

“I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I shall call him 
Rod; wouldn’t that be nice ? ’’ 

“How did you know that was my name?” 

“Mrs. Britt told me this morning before you 
came.” 

“Did you ask her?” 

“Yes.” 

Rod’s heart gave a little flutter of pleasure. 
So this beautiful girl had been thinking of him, 
and had even asked about his name. It made him 
feel happy all over. 

Just then Parson Dan appeared in the doorway. 

“My, what a great talking time you young 
people have had,” he exclaimed. “Here I have 
been waiting for you, sir, ever so long,” and he 
laid his hand affectionately upon the boy’s 
shoulder. “I hope he hasn’t tired you, dear,” he 
continued, turning toward Whyn. 

‘ ‘Oh, no,’’ was the eager reply. “We have had 
such a lovely time. May he come again soon?” 


WHYN 


109 


11 Certainly. I know it will give him great pleas¬ 
ure.” 

As they were leaving, Eod went close to Whyn 
and whispered: 

“I’m going to be a scout, and get Captain Josh 
to help.” 

“How nice,” and the girl’s smile of encourage¬ 
ment followed him as he left the room. 


CHAPTER X 


HIS FIRST “GOOD TURN” 

R OD was greatly excited over what Whyn had 
told him about the boy scouts, and on the 
way home he plied Parson Dan with numerous 
questions. 

“Didn’t you ever hear of them before, gran¬ 
dad?” he asked. 

“Yes, Rodney, I did,” was the reply. “But 
there are so many things taking place in the 
cities these days that it is hard for an old man 
like me to keep run of them all. If I were younger 
I might be able to da something. But in the coun¬ 
try where the boys are so scattered, I am afraid 
that it would be a difficult undertaking to form a 
band of scouts.” 

“Well, I am going to be a scout, anyway,” Rod 
declared. “I want to learn how to bring a 
drowned man back to life, and to talk with flags. 
Oh, it must be great to do that! How can I learn, 
grandad?” 

“There must be books which explain such 
things,” the clergyman replied. “Shall I write 
to the city to find out?” 


no 


HIS FIRST “GOOD TURN” 


111 


“Oh, will you, grandad?” and Rod fairly 
danced with joy, and his eyes sparkled with ex¬ 
citement. “Will you write at once?” 

“Yes, dear. I shall write the letter this eve¬ 
ning, and it will go down on Monday.” 

“When will the book come?” 

“It should be here by Wednesday.” 

“Oh!” 

“But, remember, Rodney, you must not let this 
scout idea interfere with your school lessons.” 

“No, grandad, I won’t. I will study hard and 
fast so that I.can read my scout book.” 

Parson Dan smiled as he watched the lad’s en¬ 
thusiasm. He thought, too, of another boy, who 
also had been full of life and fun, but who had 
been unnaturally checked when he should have 
been directed and led aright. He now realised 
only too well what a mistake had been made with 
Alec, and he was determined that the same should 
not be the case with Rodney. 

The following days were very long ones to Rod. 
It seemed as if Wednesday would never come. 
He thought over everything Wliyn had told him 
about the scouts, and wearied Mrs. Royal by tell¬ 
ing her over and over again what he intended 
to do when the book arrived. He had not seen 
Whyn since Saturday, but was looking eagerly 
forward to seeing her as soon as he had his pre¬ 
cious book. ♦ 

Rod hurried home from school on Wednesday, 


112 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


certain that his treasure would be awaiting him. 
He did not dally along the road looking for birds’ 
nests as was his usual custom. Neither did the 
butterflies interest him. He had something more 
important on hand, which absorbed all of his at¬ 
tention. 

He had almost reached the rectory gate, when an 
automobile whizzed past, half-smothering him in 
a cloud of dust. This was a common occurrence 
during the summer months, and he paid little at¬ 
tention to the annoyance. The car had gone but 
a short distance, however, when a horse, driven 
by Miss Arabella Simpkins, took fright, reared, 
wheeled, upset the carriage, and threw the driver 
into the ditch. The terrified animal then bolted 
down the road dragging the overturned carriage 
after it. 

The men in the car were greatly concerned over 
the accident. They picked up the apparently un¬ 
conscious woman, and found that blood was 
streaming from her nose. Seeing Rod standing 
near, they asked him who the woman was, and 
where she lived. 

‘ ‘ She’s Miss Arabella, ’ ’ was the reply. ‘ 4 Guess 
her nose is hurt. Captain Josh said if ever she 
got into an accident it would be the first thing 
that would get smashed, ’cos it’s so long, and 
is always poking into other people’s affairs.” 

The three men looked keenly at the boy, and 
then at one another, while the faint semblance of 


HIS FIRST “GOOD TURN” 


113 


a smile lurked about tbe corners of tbeir mouths. 

“We must get her home at once,” one of them 
remarked. “Is there a doctor anywhere near, 
boy?” 

“The doctor lives five miles down the road,” 
Rod replied. “But I guess we don’t need him. 
Just wait a minute. I know what will stop that 
bleeding. ’ ’ 

With that, he sprang across the ditch, hurried 
through the garden, and entered the rectory. 
Presently he reappeared, carrying something in 
his hand, which proved to be a key. Going at 
once to the prostrate woman, who was lying upon 
the grass, he told the men to lift her up. When 
this was done, he quickly slipped the key down the 
back of her neck. 

“There, I guess that’ll stop the bleeding,” he 
panted. 

Hardly were the words out of his mouth, when 
Miss Arabella leaped to her feet. 

“A snake! A snake!” she yelled. “It’s gone 
down my neck! ’ ’ 

With much difficulty the men soothed her ex¬ 
citement, telling her that there was nothing the 
matter. At last they induced her to enter the 
auto, and soon she was being borne rapidly to 
her home. 

Rod remained for a few seconds staring after 
them, while an amused twinkle shone in his eyes. 

“She thought it was a snake, ho, ho. Won’t 


114 BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Cap tain Josh laugh when I tell him that ? I didn’t 
mean any harm, though. I just wanted to do a 
good turn. Guess that was something that a 
scout would do.” 

About half an hour after this incident, Parson 
Dan arrived home, stabled his horse, and went 
into the rectory. He found Mrs. Royal in her 
little sewing-room on the north side of the house, 
busily engaged upon some of the Ladies ’ Aid work. 
She smiled as her husband entered. 

“I was afraid you would be late, Daniel,” she 
remarked. 

“I drove hard,” was the reply, “for I never like 
to keep a wedding waiting. I believe that I 
have ten minutes to spare, so I shall take a glance 
at the Marriage Service. It is so seldom we have 
a wedding that I am a little rusty.” 

“Won’t you have a cup of tea, Daniel?” his 
wife asked. “It might freshen you up a bit.” 

“No, dear, not now. Just as soon as I look over 
the Service, I shall go into the church to have 
everything ready.” 

He was gone but a few minutes when he re¬ 
turned, with an anxious expression upon his face. 

“Have you seen the key of the church, 
Martha ? ” he asked. ‘ ‘ I cannot find it anywhere. ’ 9 

“It must be in its usual place, Daniel. It al¬ 
ways hangs there, and no one ever thinks of touch¬ 
ing it but yourself.” 


HIS FIRST “GOOD TURN” 115 

“Well, it’s not there now, and I have hunted 
all through the study.’’ 

Mrs. Royal at once arose, and began to assist 
her husband in his search for the missing key. 
All their efforts were in vain, however, and before 
they were through the wedding party arrived. 
This was most embarrassing, for the ones who 
had come to be married were very particular, and 
would resent any delay. If they could not get 
into the church they were sure to be angry, for 
it would make them the laughing-stock of the en¬ 
tire parish. 

“What shall we do!” Mrs. Royal gasped, as 
she glanced out of the window at the teams drawn 
up before the church. “Can’t you force the door, 
Daniel?” 

“No. It would take a blacksmith to do that. 
And, besides, I wouldn’t allow it for any consid¬ 
eration. It would be terrible. ’ ’ 

“Why not hold the wedding in the rectory, 
then?” Mrs. Royal suggested. “Perhaps they 
wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.” 

“Wouldn’t mind! Don’t you know the San¬ 
ders well enough to realise what they would do 
and say? Haven’t they been planning for a 
‘church wedding’ for months? Here come more 
teams. What in the world shall we do! ” and the 
parson drew forth his handkerchief, and mopped 
his perspiring brow. 

“There must be only one person who knows 


116 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


where that key is,” Mrs, Royal thoughtfully re¬ 
marked. 

“And who is that?” 

“Rodney. If you didn't remove it, he must 
have done so.” 

“Where is he?” and the clergyman looked 
around as if expecting to see him appear. 

“I do not know, Daniel. He always comes to 
see me when he returns from school, but I have 
not seen him this afternoon. That scout book 
came this morning, and he may be lost in that.” 

“But he is not in the house, Martha. I have 
been all over the place and have not seen him.” 

“Is the book there?” his wife asked. “I left 
it on the dining-room table.” 

“I didn't see any book. But, hark, there is 
some one at the door They’re after me to attend 
the wedding, and what shall I say! How can I 
explain!” and the parson started to go to the 
door. 

“Wait, Daniel,” his wife called. “If the book 
is gone, Rodney must have taken it over to show 
it to Captain Josh, for he said he was going to do 
that just as soon as it came.” 

“But why should he take the key, Martha?” 
and the parson turned his despairing face upon 
hers. 

“I do not know, Daniel. But you had better 
send some one after him at once. He may know 
something about it.” 


HIS FIRST 4 'GOOD TURN” 


117 


In the meantime the doorbell had been ringing 
furiously, and when Parson Dan at last opened 
it, he was confronted by several excited men, 
among whom was the bridegroom. 

"What’s wrong, parson?” Ned Percher cried. 
"We’ve been waitin’ out here fer some time. 
The church is locked, and the people are gettin’ 
impatient.” 

"I can’t find the key, Ned, that’s what’s the 
trouble,” the parson explained. 

"Can’t find the key!” came in a chorus from 
ah. 

"No. It’s gone, and the only person who must 
know about it is Rodney, and I believe he’s over 
at Captain Josh’s.” 

The groom, a thick-set, red-faced man, now 
stepped forward. 

"D’ye think this is the right way to treat me, 
parson?” he demanded. "Haven’t I been always 
one of your best church members, and now when 
I’m to be married, ye lock the church against me, 
and say that the key is lost. WTiat will Susie 
think? I’d like to know. She’ll never get over 
the disgrace.” 

"You are not half as sorry as I am,” Parson 
Dan replied as calmly as possible. "Iam deeply 
mortified that such a thing should have happened. 
But talking will not mend matters now. The key 
must be found, so if one of you will hurry over to 


118 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


the Anchorage, and bring Rodney back, I shall be 
greatly obliged.’’ 

Ned Percher at once volunteered to go, and 
soon he was speeding for the captain’s house by 
a short-cut through the field. There was nothing 
else for the rest to do but to wait in front of the 
rectory until the messenger should return with 
the boy. 

The bride was greatly disturbed over the delay. 
So overcome was she with the excitement that 
she had to be carried into the house, where she 
lay upon the sitting-room sofa, quite hysterical. 
The women who gathered around her by no means 
restrained their tongues, thus making the young 
bride feel as badly as possible. Several ex¬ 
pressed their opinion of the clergyman for allow¬ 
ing such a thing to happen. It was another ex¬ 
ample, so they said, of the mistake he had made 
in bringing up a child of whose parents he knew 
nothing. They had said so before, and were now 
more firmly convinced than ever. Others told 
what it meant for a wedding to be delayed right 
at the church door, and related a number of cases 
where ill luck had followed such weddings. Thus, 
by the time Ned Percher arrived, with Rod close 
at his heels, the bride was almost in a state of 
nervous collapse. 

During this time of waiting Parson Dan spoke 
to no one. He knew that the less he now said 
the better it would be. His face had lost its usual 


HIS FIRST “GOOD TURN” 


119 


genial expression, and his eyes no longer twinkled 
with humour. He was feeling very keenly the 
whole unfortunate affair. Never before during 
the whole course of his entire ministry had such 
a thing occurred. He had often boasted that he 
had never once been late for a service, nor had 
he kept people waiting at either a funeral or a 
wedding. He stood with his face turned up the 
road, and a sigh of relief at last escaped his lips 
when he saw Rod coming toward him. 

The boy was greatly surprised to see so many 
teams and people in front of the rectory, for Ned 
would tell him nothing of what was taking place. 
He was astonished, as well, when he observed the 
worried look upon the parson’s face. But he had 
no time for questions just then, for the clergyman 
laid a heavy hand upon the lad’s shoulder, and 
demanded if he knew what had become of the 
key of the church. 

Instantly the cause of the excitement flashed 
upon Rod’s mind. His face became pale, and he 
glanced nervously around upon the men who had 
gathered near. 

“Do you hear me?” the parson again de¬ 
manded. “Do you know anything about that 
key?” 

“Yes, grandad, I do,” was the trembling reply. 

“Where is it, then?” 

“It’s down Miss Arabella’s neck.” 

“Down Miss Arabella’s neck!” the clergyman 


120 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


repeated in profound astonishment. “What do 
you mean?” 

“She got hurt, grandad, and her nose was bleed¬ 
ing, so I dropped the key down her neck. Captain 
Josh said that was the best thing to stop a bleed¬ 
ing nose.” 

For an instant Parson Dan glared at the little 
lad before him. Then his face softened, and an 
amused light shone in his eyes as the humorous 
side of the situation dawned upon him. He longed 
to laugh outright, and give the culprit before him 
a big hug. But he had to control his feelings in 
the presence of all the people, who saw nothing 
funny about the matter. 

“Look here, Rodney,” he said, “you go after 
that key as fast as your legs will carry you.” 

“Yes, grandad, I will,” and Rod was off like 
a shot, glad to be free from the staring crowd. 

So once more the wedding was delayed, and the 
murmurs of the waiting people increased. 


CHAPTER XI 


miss Arabella’s “affair” 

I T was the lot of Miss Arabella Simpkins to 
have lived for over forty years without one 
real affair of the heart. There were reasons for 
this, well known to all the people of Hillcrest. 
Not only had her father, a lumberman of consid¬ 
erable repute in his day, been very particular as 
to the young men who visited the house, hut Miss 
Arabella herself was the chief objection. She was 
by no means handsome, and in addition she was 
possessed of a sharp tongue, and, as Captain 
Josh truly said, “a long nose which was always 
prying into other people’s business.” These frail¬ 
ties naturally increased as she grew older until 
she became a dread not only to her brother, Tom, 
but to all her neighbours, especially the children. 

She had two redeeming features, however: a 
generous heart for those she liked, and consid¬ 
erable money. This latter had its influence, and 
made her tolerated in the company of others, 
where she was indulged with a certain amount of 
good humour. 

But a real romance had never come into Miss 
121 


122 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Arabella’s life, and this was her great trial. No 
suitor had ever sought her out, and with languish¬ 
ing eyes had watched her as she moved among the 
other maidens of the parish. Friends of her girl¬ 
hood days had been more fortunate. They were 
married, and had families around them, while she 
alone had been lef t “ like the last rose of summer, ’ 9 
as she often told herself. 

But Miss Arabella never let people know about 
her trial. On the contrary, she wished them to 
believe that her heart had once been won by a 
handsome and gallant young man. Just what had 
become of him, or what had occurred to cause the 
separation, she would never tell, and only hinted 
mysteriously with a deep sigh whenever the sub¬ 
ject of matrimony was discussed. People know¬ 
ing her, always smiled, and among themselves 
often spoke of Miss Arabella’s “affair.” 

The Simpkins’ house was close to the river, 
and about a quarter of a mile from the rectory by 
means of a short-cut through the field, though 
much longer by the main highway. Rod took the 
short route, and in a few minutes reached the 
place. His heart beat fast as he drew near, for 
he dreaded meeting Miss Arabella, whose sharp 
tongue he had good reason to fear. 

Tom Simpkins met him at the door, and ushered 
him into the sitting-room where Miss Arabella 
was lying upon a sofa near the window. She was 
somewhat paler than usual, and very weak. A 


MISS ARABELLA’S “AFFAIR” 


123 


look of disappointment appeared upon her face 
as the door opened and Rod entered. 

“Oh, it’s only you,” she complained. “What 
brought you here?” 

“I came for the key, Miss Arabella,” Rod pant- 
ingly explained, keeping as close to the door as 
possible. 

“H’m, I should think you would not only be 
afraid but ashamed to come near me after doing 
such a mean thing as you did this afternoon,” 
and the invalid fixed her piercing eyes upon the 
boy. 

“W-what did I do?” Rod stammered. 

“Do! Didn’t you put that key down my neck, 
which gave me such a terrible shock?” 

“But it brought you back to life, Miss Arabella, 
and it stopped your nose bleeding. Captain Josh 
said that was the best thing to do, and I guess he 
was right.” 

“Oh, that was what you did it for, was it?” 

‘ ‘ Sure. I never thought of scaring you. I only 
wanted to do a good turn, that’s all.” 

“But what did you say such things about my 
nose for, tell me that?” 

“Why, did you hear me? I thought you didn’t 
know anything.” 

“Then you were mistaken. I heard and knew 
more than you imagined.” 

“The men thought that you were almost dead, 
Miss Arabella, and they felt very bad.” 


124 BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Did they?” the woman questioned, and her 
voice was softer than usual. Then she remained 
silent for a few seconds, looking absently before 
her. “See here, Rod,” and she smiled upon the 
boy for the first time in her life, “I will forgive 
you for what you said about my nose if you will 
tell me something.” 

“What is it?” 

“You remember that fine looking man, with the 
blue eyes, and hair streaked with grey. ’’ 

i 1 Can’t say that I do, Miss Arabella. ’’ 

1 1 He was the one who held me in his arms while 
you dropped that horrid key down my neck.” 

“Oh, yes, I know now.” 

“Well, Rod, do you think he cared much that 
I was hurt?” 

“Yes, I think he did.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes. He looked awful scared when you tum¬ 
bled into the ditch.” 

“Ah, I knew it,” and the invalid closed her eyes, 
while a smile overspread her face. “I felt from 
the first that he cared,” she murmured. 

Then she lay so perfectly still that Rod thought 
she had fainted. He stepped to her side, and 
touched her hand. 

“Miss Arabella,” he began, “have you 
fainted?” 

“Oh, I thought that he was standing by my 


MISS ARABELLA’S “AFFAIR” 125 

side,” she simpered. “I must have been dream¬ 
ing.” 

“No, it’s only me, and I would like to have the 
key. They can’t have the wedding till I get back.’ ’ 

“What wedding?” and the invalid sat suddenly 
bolt upright. 

“Why, Bill Stebbins and Susie Sanders want 
to get married, and they can’t get into the church 
’cos you have the key down your neck.” 

“A wedding! What thoughts of bliss come to 
my mind at that word,” and Miss Arabella clasped 
her hands, while her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. 

Rod was now becoming very impatient. He 
thought of the crowd waiting before the rectory, 
and Parson Dan’s anxiety. 

“The key, Miss Arabella,” he insisted. “Will 
you please-” 

“And you think he cared?” the woman inter¬ 
rupted. 

“Yes. But, Miss-’’ 

“And did he look at me much with those 
splendid blue eyes?” 

“I think he did, Miss Arabella. But will you 
please give me the key. They are waiting-” 

“And do you think he will come back, Rod? 
He said that he would return soon. But men are 
so fickle.” 

A new idea suddenly shot into Rod’s mind. 

“Give me the key, Miss Arabella, and I will go 
after that man. It will be my good turn,” 



126 BOD OF THE LONE PATBOL 


“Oh, will you?” and the woman’s face lighted 
up with joy. ‘ ‘ Don’t tell him that I sent you. ’’ 

“No, I won’t. But the key, where is it? If it’s 
down your neck, I’ll go out of the room until you 
find it.” 

“And you will hurry, Bod?” 

“Yes, yes, but-” 

“And you think you can find him?” 

“I’ll try if you’ll give me the key, Miss Ara¬ 
bella. But if you keep me waiting any longer 
I won’t go one step.” 

“Well, it’s on that shelf over there. Take it, 
and hurry.” 

Bod wasted no time. He sprang for the key, 
seized it, and darted out of the room. Over the 
field he sped as fast as his nimble feet would 
carry him, and never paused until he had handed 
it to the anxiously waiting clergyman. 

Having performed this task, Bod turned his 
attention to Miss Arabella’s “man.” The wed¬ 
ding was of little interest to him, so he strolled 
down the road with not the least idea how he was 
going to bring back that man with the 1 ‘ splendid 
blue eyes.” With hands thrust deep into his 
pockets he walked along whistling a merry tune. 
His mind was really upon Whyn, and the book he 
had left at the Anchorage. He would much rather 
have gone back there, but he knew that he must 
do his duty to the love-sick woman first. 

He had not gone very far ere he saw a man 


MISS ARABELLA’S “AFFAIR” 


127 


coming toward him, leading a horse, which he 
knew to be the one which had run away. He rec¬ 
ognised the man, and he was overjoyed at seeing 
him. 

“Hello! Have you come to give a hand?” the 
man accosted as he drew near. 

“Yes, sir. I was looking for you , 99 Rod replied, 
as he walked»along by the man’s side. 

“Thought I had run away with the horse, did 
you? Well, we had a hard chase, but found her 
at last, with the wagon all smashed to bits. We 
tried to lead the horse behind the car, but couldn’t 
get her anywhere near it, so I had to foot it the 
whole way.” 

“Miss Arabella will be glad to see you, sir.” 

“Will she, eh? I suppose there’ll be the Old 
Harry to pay. You said something about her 
tongue, didn’t you? I expect to know more of it 
shortly. ’ ’ 

“Oh, she won’t scold you, sir. She thinks a lot 
of you.” 

“Of me?” 

“Yes, sir. She thinks you are great. I really 
believe she is in love with you, that’s all.” 

“Whew!” and the man whistled softly, while 
an amused light shone in his eyes. “Did she send 
you after me?” he inquired. 

“I promised, sir, that I wouldn’t tell.” 

“Oh, I see,” and the man relapsed into silence. 
A picture of Miss Arabella’s angular figure, thin 


128 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


face, and long sharp nose rose before him. And 
to think that she was in love with him! It was 
almost too good to be true, and he longed to laugh 
outright. What a story he would have to relate 
when he got home. 

Miss Arabella was lying just where Rod had 
left her when John Markham and the boy entered. 
She gave a little squeak of joy when the stranger 
stepped to her side. 

“I knew you would come back,” she murmured. 
“I was certain that you would not forsake me.” 

“Not until I had found the horse, madam,” 
was the reply. “I regret very much that the 
wagon is broken, but I shall make good your 
loss.” 

“Don’t mention such a thing,” and the invalid 
feebly waved her thin hands. “Such material 
matters don’t count for anything to a heart over¬ 
flowing with gratitude. ’ ’ 

“Yes, you were most fortunate to escape as 
you did, madam. You might have been seriously 
injured, nay, you might have been killed, and so 
I can understand how grateful you must feel. ’ ’ 

“Oh, I don’t mean that,” and Miss Arabella 
raised her soulful eyes to the man’s face. “I 
am so thankful that you have come back. ’ ’ 

“You didn’t imagine that I would run away 
with your horse, did you, madam ? She is certainly 
a fine beast, and it is lucky that she did not receive 
any serious damage. I am much pleased that I 


MISS ARABELLA’S “AFFAIR” 


129 


have been able to deliver her to you with so few 
scratches upon her. A little treatment will make 
her all right. You will find Bickmore’s Gall Cure 
very good.” 

“It’s not that, not that, I assure you,” and 
again Miss Arabella flapped her hands in agony 
of soul. “What does a horse amount to when the 
heart is affected?” 

* ‘ Oh, is that what’s the matter ? 9 9 and Mr. Mark¬ 
ham assumed an expression of great solicitude. 
“It was the fall, no doubt, which did it. Have you 
had trouble there before?” 

“It wasn’t the fall that caused it,” and Miss 
Arabella covered her face with her hand. “It 
goes deeper than that.” 

“Dear me, madam, you must certainly see the 
doctor. It is very serious, and you must not delay 
any longer. I believe the doctor lives down the 
road. Shall I call on him on my way home, and 
tell him to come at once?” 

Before Miss Arabella could reply, a raucous 
honk outside arrested their attention. 

“It’s merely the car,” Mr. Markham explained. 
“I must be going now.” 

“What, so soon? Must you leave me again?” 
and the invalid raised her eyes appealingly to the 
man’s face. 

“Yes, I must be off. My wife will be wonder¬ 
ing what-” 

“Your wife!” Miss Arabella shrieked, sitting 


130 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


bolt upright. “Do you tell me that you have a 
wife!” 

“Certainly. She is waiting for me with some 
friends down the road. Several of us men took a 
spin this afternoon so that the women could 
have a little chat together. It is getting late now, 
and we must hurry back to the city. This acci¬ 
dent has delayed us. So, good-bye, madam. I 
trust you soon will be well. I shall see about the 
carriage at once.” 

With that, he left the house, closely followed by 
Rod, leaving Miss Arabella speechless upon the 
sofa. 


CHAPTER XII 


SCOUT WORK 

T WO weeks after the scout book arrived the 
Ilillcrest troop of hoy scouts was formed, 
with Captain Josh as scoutmaster, and Rod 
as patrol leader. Whyn had much to do with 
this, and her enthusiasm inspired and encouraged 
the others. News soon spread among the rest of 
the boys in the parish of what was taking place, 
and it was not long before several more askfed to 
become members. The Scout Commissioner and 
the Secretary of the Province visited Hillcrest, 
explained many things, and started the work along 
proper lines. 

Deep in his heart Captain Josh was delighted 
with the hoys. They no longer feared him, though 
he was as gruff as ever. But they soon found 
that this gruffness was only on the surface, and 
that in reality he was deeply interested in their 
welfare. He studied the scout book thoroughly 
until he knew it from cover to cover. He was 
determined that his troop, even though it was 
known as the “Lone Patrol,” was to be well 
trained, and a credit to the parish. He did not 
131 


132 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


wish to have too many boys at first, but to drill 
the ones he had chosen until they were proficient 
in every part of the scout work. 

Whenever the captain was in doubt as to what 
he should do, he always consulted with Whyn, for 
he found that she had excellent ideas, and re¬ 
membered so much of what her brother Douglas 
had told her. Her joy was even greater than the 
captain’s when she learned that a troop was to 
be formed, and she planned all sorts of things for 
the boys to do. 

Just as the work was well under way, Mrs. Sin¬ 
clair informed the Britts that she and Whyn must 
leave for the city. She had her work to do there 
without which they could not live. Then it was 
that the captain showed his hand. He had been 
thinking over this very matter for some time, and 
had discussed it with his wife. 

“Let Whyn stay with us, Mrs. Sinclair,” he sug¬ 
gested. “I do not see how we can get along with¬ 
out her.” 

1 ‘ But I cannot afford that, captain,’ ’ the widow 
replied. 

“Can’t afford what?” 

“To pay her board.” 

“Who said anything about paying?” the cap¬ 
tain demanded. “She’s worth more than her 
board any day. We don’t want any money. If 
ye’ll let her stay with us we’ll be quite willin’ to 
pay you something fer her. We need her, and 


SCOUT WORK 


133 


so do the scouts. It’ll be a shame to take her 
back to that stuffy city at this time of the year.” 

“But what shall I do without her?” Mrs. Sin¬ 
clair asked. “She is all I have near me, and I 
shall miss her so much if she remains with you. ’ ’ 

“You can come and see her as often as you 
like,” Mrs. Britt replied. “We shall be so glad 
to have you.” 

And so it was arranged that Whyn was to stay 
for several weeks at least, and the girl was de¬ 
lighted when she heard the news. 

“You are the dearest and best people in the 
world, excepting mamma,” she told the captain 
and Mrs. Britt. “It is so nice to be here, and 
when I know that mamma can come to see me 
often I do not mind staying.” 

“But ye’ll have to behave yerself, young 
woman,” the captain replied. “No more lyin’ 
awake at night, remember, worryin’ about the 
scouts. And ye’ve got to eat more than ye have 
in the past. ’ ’ 

“Oh, no fear of that,” and Whyn laughed mer¬ 
rily. “I am going to eat so much that you will 
be glad to send me away. ’ ’ 

It did not take the captain long to get the 
scouts down to steady work. As the holidays were 
now on they often met during the afternoons, 
when the captain drilled them in marching, in¬ 
structed them about the flag, and taught them 
how to tie a number of knots. It was necessary 


134 ROD OE THE LONE PATROL 

for them to know such things before they could 
obtain the tenderfoot badges. They had to learn 
the Scout Law as well. It was not all work, how¬ 
ever, for the captain often took the boys for de¬ 
lightful spins upon the river in the Roaring Bess, 
and soon all the scouts were able to handle the 
yacht in a creditable manner. 

It soon became evident that they must have a 
building of their own where they could meet on 
wet days. The Commissioner had told them that 
there was nothing like a club-room for their meet¬ 
ings. The captain had been thinking this over 
for some time, and at last offered the use of an 
old rafting shanty near the shore, and which 
could be easily seen from Whyn’s window. 
This building was fairly large, made of boards, 
and the roof covered with tarred paper. It was 
well lighted by four windows, which showed up 
the dirty condition of the room in an alarming 
manner when the captain and the boys first in¬ 
spected the place. There were remnants of old 
bunks, tables and chairs, while broken boxes were 
scattered about. But after two days of steady 
work a great change took place. The boys were 
willing and eager, and inspired by the captain they 
toiled until their backs ached. Holes in the roof 
were patched, the broken door mended, several 
chairs were brought from the boys’ homes, and 
when all was done they were delighted at what 
they had accomplished. They now no longer 


SCOUT WORK 


135 


dreaded wet days, for they had a place to meet 
where they could carry on their work to their 
hearts’ content. The captain had two good flags, 
which he placed upon the wall, and the boys 
brought magazine pictures, and tacked them 
around the room. In this way the place was 
made very cosy. 

Whyn was delighted with the progress which 
the scouts made upon their club-room, which she 
called “Headquarters.” She could see it from 
her window, and often she would sit and watch 
as the boys worked around the building, cutting 
down some of the underbrush, and cleaning up 
the ground. When their work was done they al¬ 
ways came to her room, and talked over every¬ 
thing with her. 

At first some of the boys had been quite shy 
and diffident in Whyn’s presence. But this soon 
wore away, and they all became the firmest of 
friends. There was nothing the scouts would not 
do for the invalid girl, and when they were in 
doubt about anything it was always to her they 
turned to help them out of their difficulty. She 
knew more about the scout work than they did, and 
many were the helpful suggestions she made. 

“You must have scout suits,” she told them 
one day, “and each of you must earn the money 
to buy his own. All the scouts do it, and it is 
really expected of them. Douglas sold news¬ 
papers to buy his, and I remember the day he 


136 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


brought his suit home. He looked so fine when 
he wore it, and we were proud of him. ’’ 

The scouts liked this idea, and they spent over 
an hour discussing it, and how they were to earn 
the money. Whyn was able to tell the price of the 
entire suit, and where it could be bought in the 
city. 

Rod listened to this conversation, but said little. 
He walked home in a very thoughtful mood, and 
the Royals noticed that he was more silent than 
usual as he ate his supper. Generally he was 
bubbling over with news about the scouts. But 
now he had nothing to say of what had taken 
place that afternoon. Rod was worried over 
the suit question, as he had not the slightest idea 
how he was going to earn the money to buy his. 
He could not think of any way out of his difficulty. 
The other scouts had plans which would not do 
for him, as they were farmers’ sons, and could 
earn money right at home. He thought of this 
the last thing before he went to sleep that night, 
and the moment he awoke it came into his mind. 

“I want you to take something for me over for 
Miss Arabella this morning,” Mrs. Royal told 
him after breakfast. 4 i The poor soul has not been 
well for some time, and I heard last night that 
she is worse. I have made up a few dainties for 
her as her appetite is almost gone, so I under¬ 
stand.” 

Rod did not fancy this errand, for he remem- 


SCOUT WORK 


137 


bered only too well the last time he had seen Miss 
Arabella lying so still upon the sofa after her 
affair of the heart. It was, therefore, with lag¬ 
ging steps that he made his way across the field, 
carrying in his hand the little basket filled with 
the good tilings Mrs. Royal had sent for the in¬ 
valid. 

Miss Arabella was in bed looking paler than 
ever, so Rod thought. Her nose seemed longer 
than he had ever seen it. She was propped up 
with several pillows, and her hair was done up 
in papers. She looked to the boy like pictures he 
had seen of natives with funny head-dresses out 
in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. 

“So Mrs. Royal sent those things, did she!” 
she whined. 4 ‘ She might have come herself. She 
has been here only three times this week, while you 
haven’t been near me for a long time. I might 
die here, and no one would care. This is what 
people call a Christian land, is it?” 

“What’s the matter with you, Miss Arabella?” 
Rod asked in surprise. “I didn’t know you were 
sick. I have been so busy with the scouts that I 
haven’t had time for anything else.” 

“Who are the scouts?” the invalid questioned. 
There was evidently something taking place in 
the parish of which she had heard nothing, and 
her curiosity was aroused. 

Then Rod told her about the troop which had 
been formed, the club-room, and the wonderful 


138 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


girl, to all of which Miss Arabella listened with 
much interest. 

“ And do yon mean to tell me that cranky old 
Captain Josh is looking after the scouts ?” she 
demanded. 

“Sure. He’s great,” was the reply. 

“Well, I declare!” and Miss Arabella leaned 
back against the pillow as if exhausted by the 
idea. 

“I wish you could see Whyn,” and Rod gave a 
little sigh. “She’d do you a whole lot of good.” 

“Do me good! In what way, I’d like to know? 
I guess it would take more than her to make me 
better.” 

‘ ‘ But she is so jolly, ’ ’ Rod explained. ‘ ‘ Her eyes 
are laughing all the time, and she is never cross.” 

“Humph! ” and the invalid gave her head a toss. 
“If she had to put up with what I have to she 
would not feel that way.” 

“Oh, but she does, Miss Arabella. She has 
pains all the time, and she can’t walk a step. She 
hasn’t walked for a long time.” 

“She hasn’t! Well, how can she laugh and 
not be cross?” 

“I don’t know for sure. But I guess she is try¬ 
ing to be a scout.” 

“What has that to do with it?” 

“Quite a bit. You see, a scout has to smile and 
whistle no matter what happens. If he jams his 
finger or stubs his toe, he must smile and go on 


SCOUT WORK 


139 


whistling just as if nothing had happened. It’s 
hard at first, hut after you learn how to do it you 
feel good all the time.” 

11 And so you think I should do the same, eh?” 
and the woman fixed her eyes upon the boy’s 
face. 

“Not exactly, Miss Arabella,” and Rod gave a 
little chuckle. “You might smile more than you 
do, but I don’t think you could whistle. But 
maybe you can. Did you ever try?” 

“No, I never did,” was the snapping reply, 
“and I detest girls and women who can.” 

“But Whyn whistles,” Rod explained, “and 
I’m sure you’d like her if you saw her. You 
ought to see her, Miss Arabella. I believe she’d 
make you better. And, besides, you’d do a good 
turn if you went to the Anchorage. Whyn doesn’t 
see many women and she’d be so pleased to see 
you.” 

“What do you mean by a ‘good turn’?” the 
invalid asked. “Is it something else the scouts 
have to do?” 

“Sure. You see, a scout is supposed to do a 
good turn each day. That is, he must try to help 
somebody or something. When I put that key 
down your neck, Miss Arabella, it was only my 
good turn which I was doing. Captain Josh said 
it was the best thing to do to stop nose bleed¬ 
ing. Now, if you’d go to see Whyn that would 
be your good turn, see?” 


140 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“H’m, I guess I’ve got all I can do to look after 
myself without trying to do good turns to others , 9 9 
the woman sniffed. Nevertheless, when Rod had 
gone she thought over everything he had said, 
and for once forgot all about her own troubles. 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE VISIT 

T HE morning after Rod’s visit to Miss Ara¬ 
bella’s, Mrs. Britt was busy in the kitchen 
making doughnuts. The scouts were coming that 
afternoon, and once a week, at least, she had 
some treat for them, and she knew what they 
liked. Mrs. Britt’s interest in the boys was as 
keen as her husband’s, and it gave her great 
pleasure to have them about the house. Her home 
life had been very lonely since Jimmy went away, 
so the shouting of the scouts and their merry 
laughter brought back other days. 

She had just completed frosting a number of 
doughnuts, and had them all heaped upon a 
large plate, when the kitchen door was suddenly 
thrust open, and Miss Arabella burst into the 
room. Though the morning was very warm, a 
thick shawl enwrapped her shoulders, and she 
wore a heavy winter dress. Her eyes were wide 
with fright, and she was trembling so violently 
that she was forced to sink into the nearest chair. 

“Why, Miss Arabella!” Mrs. Britt exclaimed, 
“are you sick? You must lie down at once.” 

141 


142 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“No, no, I’m not sick,” and the visitor flapped 
her hands in despair. “But yonr husband, Mrs. 
Britt, your husband, oh, oh!” 

“What’s the matter with him!” Mrs. Britt en¬ 
quired, while her face turned suddenly pale. “Has 
anything happened to him! Tell me quick. ’’ 

“Yes, I’m afraid so. It’s awful. I didn’t know 
he was that way. Has he been troubled long! 
You should take him away at once. I always knew 
he was queer, but I had no idea he was so bad.” 

“Will you please tell me what is the matter!” 
Mrs. Britt demanded. “I don’t understand you. 
Joshua was all right a few minutes ago.” 

“Was he!” and Miss Arabella looked her sur¬ 
prise. “But you should see him now. He’s out 
there in front of the house waving his arms up 
and down just like this,” and the visitor, forget¬ 
ting her weakness, leaped to her feet and imi¬ 
tated what she had seen the captain doing. “He 
was looking up at the window,” she continued, 
“and saying things I could not understand. It 
sounded as if he was going over his letters, and 
every once in awhile he would clasp his hands be¬ 
fore him like this, and cry ‘brute.’ Oh, it is ter¬ 
rible ! ’ ’ 

Mrs. Britt gave a deep sigh of relief, while an 
amused twinkle shone in her eyes. 

“Sit down, Miss Arabella,” she ordered. 
“There is nothing wrong with Joshua. He is 
practising signalling, that’s all. Whyn is helping 


THE VISIT 


143 


him from her window. He has to teach the scouts 
this afternoon, and is brushing up a little. You 
see, every time he moves his arms he makes a 
letter. The alphabet is divided into groups, and 
at the end of each group he stops swinging his 
arms, and clasps his hands before him before mak¬ 
ing the next group. That is what Joshua must 
have been doing which frightened you so much.” 

“Oh, dear me!” and Miss Arabella began to 
fan herself with an old newspaper she picked up 
from off the table. “I never got such a shock in 
all my life. I don’t know what people are com¬ 
ing to these days when an old man like your hus¬ 
band will act in such a way. I came over on pur¬ 
pose to see that girl you have here, and it has 
nearly cost me my life.” 

“Have one of these doughnuts, dear,” Mrs. 
Britt soothed. “I shall get you some of my 
home-made wine, which will make you feel bet¬ 
ter.” And the good woman bustled off to the 
pantry, from which she shortly emerged with a 
well-filled glass. 

“That does make me feel better,” Miss Ara¬ 
bella remarked, after she had drunk the wine and 
eaten two doughnuts. “That walk has certainly 
given me an appetite.” 

“And I guess you’ll feel better still when you 
see Whyn,” Mrs. Britt replied, as she led her 
visitor into the front bedroom. 

The invalid girl was sitting by the open window 


144 BOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


in the big chair the captain had fitted up for 
her. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, 
and her eyes were sparkling with animation. She 
was holding a small signalling chart in her hands, 
at the same time giving instructions to the cap¬ 
tain outside. 

“Try that again,” she was saying. “Don’t 
hold your arms so stiff. There, that’s better.” 

Hearing the sound of footsteps, she turned 
suddenly and her eyes fell upon Miss Arabella’s 
lank form and thin face. For an instant only she 
hesitated before reaching out her delicate white 
hand. 

“Oh, you’re Miss Arabella,” she exclaimed. 
“I’m very glad to see you, and it’s so good of 
you to come. Sit down, please.” 

“For pity’s sake, how do you know who I 
am?” was the astonished reply. 

‘ 1 A little bird told me, ’ ’ and Whyn gave a merry 
laugh. 

“H’m. I guess it was a bird without any feath¬ 
ers, and a little red head.” 

“Yes, that’s who it was. You see, I know most 
of the people in this place, though I have met 
only a few. Rod told me that you were sick, and 
what you look like.” 

“He did, did he? And I suppose he told you 
that I had a long nose which was always poking 
into other people’s business.” 

“Why, no!” and Whyn’s face grew suddenly 


THE VISIT 


145 


sober. “He never told me anything like that. 
He only said that you were thin, with a sad face, 
and that you were very lonely, with no one to 
love you.” 

“So he said that, did he?” and a softer expres¬ 
sion came into the woman’s grey eyes. “But I 
suppose he told you a whole lot more, though?” 

“Only about how he put the key down your 
neck,” and again Wliyn smiled. “Wasn’t it a 
funny way to do a good turn?” 

“Not very funny for me, Miss,” and the visitor 
tossed her head. ‘ ‘ But tell me, how old are you ? ’ ’ 

“Just sixteen,” was the reply. 

“What’s wrong with you, anyway? You don’t 
look very sick.” 

“It’s my back. I am not able to walk, and can 
sit up only for a little while each day.” 

“My, it must be hard for you to be that way. 
I know something about it myself,” and Miss Ara¬ 
bella gave a deep sigh. 

“I try to forget my troubles, though, by think¬ 
ing of bright things,” Whyn explained. “And 
now that I have so much to do with the scouts 
I have scarcely any time left to think about myself. 
Every night my back aches so much that I cannot 
sleep for several hours. But last night I was 
thinking about Rod, and didn’t mind the pain 
hardly at all.” 

“Why, what’s wrong with Rod?” the visitor 


146 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


inquired. “I don’t see why you should lie awake 
thinking about him.” 

“No, perhaps you don’t, and maybe it was fool¬ 
ish of me, but I couldn’t help it. You see, it had 
to do with his scout suit. Each boy must earn 
the money to buy his own suit, and when the scouts 
were talking about it, they all told how they were 
going to raise the money except Rod. He didn’t 
say anything, and I knew by the look on his face 
that he hadn’t the least idea where he was going 
to get the money for his suit. I felt so sorry for 
him. When Rod is thinking hard he is very quiet. 
He was just like that yesterday, and he didn’t 
even say a word to me when he left. Oh, I wish 
that I could think of some way to help him.” 

“Who are the other scouts?” Miss Arabella 
asked. 

“Well, there’s Jimmy Perkins. He’s corporal, 
and-” 

“Old Ezry Perkins’ son, eh? I guess I know 
his pa, a mean old skinflint, if ever there was one. 
But he dotes on that boy of his, and he’ll get him 
the suit all right. Who else?” 

“Then, there’s Tommy Bunker, the boy with a 
face like the full moon. ’ ’ 

“Yes, I know the Bunkers only too well. Stuck 
up people, they are, who think they own the whole 
parish. You ought to see Mrs. Bunker come into 
church. She holds her head so high, and steps 
so big and mighty, that she thinks she’s doing the 


THE VISIT 


147 


Lord a great service by coming. Tommy’ll get his 
suit, never fear. Mrs. Bunker will see to that/ 7 

“Billy Potter comes next,” Whyn hastened to 
explain, “and Joe Martin, and Phil Dexter, 
and-” 

“There, that will do,” and Miss Arabella sniffed 
in a most significant manner. “I know the whole 
tribe. Nothing but trash, every one of them. 
Queer scouts, I call them. Yes, they’ll all have 
suits, and my, how they’ll strut around.” 

“I’m afraid Rod will not get his for some time,” 
and Whyn sighed. “He’s patrol leader, too, 
and I am sure he will feel very badly.” 

“No doubt he will. But, there, I must be off,” 
and Miss Arabella rose suddenly to her feet. 
“Good-bye. I’ll be over to see you again soon,” 
and with that, she whisked out of the room. 


CHAPTER XIV 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 

EN Miss Arabella left the Anchorage she 



V V seemed like a different person from the 
one who had entered it but a short time before. 
Her step was quick and decisive, as if she had 
something important on hand. 

“It was wonderful,” Mrs. Britt told her hus¬ 
band, “the way Miss Arabella went out of that 
door. She had hardly time to say ‘ good-bye . 9 I 
wonder what has come over her.” 

“H’m,” the captain grunted contemptuously, 
“most likely the hawk has been worrying that poor 
little bird in there, and it was that which made 
her so happy. I don't know of anything on earth 
that would please that skinny creature as much 
as naggin’ at some poor little innocent thing like 
Whyn, fer instance. Her long nose is gettin’ 
more hooked every day.” 

“Hush, hush, Joshua,” his wife remonstrated, 
“you mus'n’t say such things about a woman. 
Remember, Miss Arabella was greatly concerned 
about you this morning. She thought you had 


148 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 149 


gone out of your mind when she saw you sig¬ 
nalling in front of the house.’ ’ 

“She did, eh! Ho, ho! And I suppose she 
wished that I was crazy enough to he sent to the 
’sylum. That’s a good one, and I must go and 
tell Whyn.” 

Miss Arabella had almost reached her house 
when she met Rod walking slowly along, with his 
eyes fixed upon the ground. He was thinking 
deeply, and wondering how he was to earn the 
money to buy his scout suit. So far he could see 
no way out of his difficulty. He knew that if he 
spoke to Parson Dan and Mrs. Royal they would 
gladly give him the money. But he must earn it 
himself, for that was the scout rule. 

“Well, what are you after now! ’’ was Miss Ara¬ 
bella’s sharp greeting. 

“Grandmother sent me after the basket,” Rod 
explained. “I couldn’t get into the house, and so 
I thought maybe you were dead.” 

“Do I look like a dead person!” the woman 
asked, while a grim smile lurked about the cor¬ 
ners of her mouth. 

“No, not now, Miss Arabella. But yesterday 
you looked as if you might die at any moment.” 

“Well, yesterday is not to-day,” she snapped. 
“I’m much better, so if you’ll come back, I’ll give 
you the basket you left here.” 

When they had reached the house and entered 
the kitchen, Miss Arabella, instead of getting the 


150 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


basket, sat down upon a splint-bottom chair, and 
began to take off her wraps. Rod stood in the 
middle of the room and watched her without say¬ 
ing a word. When the hat and shawl had been 
removed and laid carefully upon the table, the 
woman turned to the boy. 

“You told me yesterday,” she began, “that you 
are a scout. Is that so V ’ 

“Yes, Miss Arabella.” 

“But where is your scout suit?” 

“I haven’t it yet, and I can’t get it until I 
have the money.” 

“Well, that’s just what I want to speak about. 
Look here, Rod, you’re not such a bad boy after 
all, even though you did put a toad in my lap, and 
drop that key down my neck. Now, I’ve made up 
my mind to help you. I’m going to give you your 
suit, see?” 

Rod started, while an expression of joy leaped 
into his eyes. He was about to speak, when he 
suddenly hesitated, and his face grew grave. 

“What’s the matter?” Miss Arabella demanded, 
noticing his embarrassed manner. 

“I—I can’t take it,” he stammered. 

“And why not? I’d like to know.” 

“ ’Cos I have to earn the money myself, and if 
you give me the suit it won’t be fair.” 

“Oh, rubbish! What’s the difference?” was 
the disgusted reply. 44 The other scouts will have 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 151 


their suits given to them, and why shouldn’t you? 
I don’t want them to get ahead of you.” 

“But they’ve got to earn their own money, 
Miss Arabella, and they’ll have to tell how they 
earned it, too. Captain Josh won’t let them wear 
their suits unless they do.” 

“H’m, is that so? Well, I call it a queer ar¬ 
rangement. How do you expect to earn yours?” 
and the woman looked keenly at the boy. 

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking over it a 
lot. If I only knew some way, I would work so 
hard. Haven’t you anything for me to do, Miss 
Arabella? I would run errands, carry in wood 
and water, or do anything else.” 

“No, there’s nothing like that you could do 
around here. Tom is supposed to look after such 
things, and I don’t want to take his jobs from 
him. He does little enough as it is, dear knows. 
He spends so much of his time at the store that 
he won’t look after the garden. The strawberries 
are getting ripe, and I expect they’ll rot before 
he’ll touch them. I never saw such a man. I 
wish to goodness he had to work for his living 
instead of depending upon what his father left 
him.” 

“Let me pick the berries, Miss Arabella,” and 
Rod stepped quickly forward. “I’ll do it for a 
cent a box, or less if you want me to. I know a 
boy who did that and he earned three dollars. ’ ’ 

Miss Arabella did not at once reply, and Rod 


152 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


was afraid that she did not agree to his proposal. 
She remained silent for a while, plucking at her 
dress in a thoughtful manner. 

“Rod,” she at last began, and her voice was 
softer than he had ever heard it, “I am going to 
give you that patch of berries. It will be your 
very own, and you can do what you like with it.” 

“Oh, Miss Arabella! Surely-” 

‘ ‘ There, that will do, now, ’ ’ she snapped. 6 i None 
of your thanks for me. You’d better go and get 
ready to go to work. I saw a good many ripe 
berries out there this morning, and you can’t af¬ 
ford to waste any time.” 

Rod didn’t walk across the field. There was 
no slow sauntering home when he was once out of 
the house. He burst into the rectory like a whirl¬ 
wind, just as the Royals were sitting down to din¬ 
ner. Breathless and excited, he blurted out his 
story, and when he was through Mrs. Royal told 
him to get ready for dinner. 

Rod could eat but little, as his mind was so 
taken up with the good fortune which had come 
his way. He was anxious to be otf to the store to 
get some berry-boxes. 

“Where are you going to send your berries, 
Rodney?” Parson Dan inquired when they were 
through with their dinner. 

“To the city, I suppose,” was the reply. “I 
can’t sell them here very well. Nearly all of the 
summer people raise their own.” 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 153 


“You should have some one place in the city to 
send them, Rodney. I have heard that Peter Mc- 
Duff gives good prices. You might try him.” 

“Will you write him a letter, grandad?” 

“I think you had better do it yourself. This is 
your business, and you must carry it through from 
beginning to the end.” 

It took Rod some time to write that letter. It 
was the first business one he had ever written, and 
he did not know just what to say. At last, after 
numerous efforts, he decided that this would be 
satisfactory: 


Hillcrest, N. B. 

July 12th, 1911. 

“Mr. Peter McDuff, 

St. John. 

“Dear Sir: I have some strawberries which I am going to 
pick myself. I want to buy a scout suit, and Miss Arabella 
has given me her berries. What will you give me for them? 
I will send them down on the boat when I hear from you. 

“Yours very truly, 

“Rod Royal.” 

Rod carried this letter to the office, mailed it, 
and brought back a number of berry-boxes from 
the store in his little hand-waggon. The rest of 
the afternoon he spent in making a crate to hold 
the boxes. Long and patiently he toiled, and at 
times Mrs. Royal went into the workshop 
to see how he was getting along. When supper 
time came it was a queer ramshackle affair he had 


154 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


constructed, which would hardly hold together 
long enough to reach the wharf, let alone the 
rough handling it would receive on the steamer. 

That evening after Rod was in bed, Parson Dan 
took a lamp and went out to the workshop. His 
heart was strangely moved as he looked upon the 
pathetic efforts of the little lad. Casting aside his 
coat, he started to work, and in about half an 
hour he had fashioned a neat strong crate, capa¬ 
ble of standing the strain of travel. Into this he 
put the berry-boxes, placed upon it a good strong 
cover, and went back into the house. 

Rod was surprised and delighted next morn¬ 
ing when he went into the workshop. He had his 
misgivings, however, and asked the parson 
whether it was right for him to receive any help. 

i ‘That’s all right, Rodney,’’ the clergyman 
explained. “You can hardly be expected to make 
the berry-boxes any more than you can make 
the large crate. There are some things others 
must do for us. You will need two or three more 
crates, so the one I made last night will show you 
just how the work is to be done. You did remark¬ 
ably well yesterday with nothing to guide you, 
but to-day I expect you to do better.” 

Thus encouraged, Rod once more set to work, 
and by night he had finished two crates which 
greatly pleased Mr. and Mrs. Royal. They were 
overjoyed at the boy’s enthusiasm, his skill and 
his work, as well as his willingness to be taught. 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 155 

The next day a reply was received from Peter 
McDuff. Rod was greatly excited as lie tore open 
the envelope. 

“Mr. Rod Royal,” so the letter began, 

“Dear Sir: Your favor of the 12th received, and its con¬ 
tents noted. I shall be pleased to receive as many berries as 
you can send, and will give you market prices for the same. 

“Yours respectfully, 

“Peter McDuff.” 

This was the first business letter Rod had ever 
received and he was delighted. After showing it 
to Mr. and Mrs. Royal, he rushed over to tell 
the good news to Captain Josh and Whyn. The 
latter was much pleased, and she gave him some 
sound advice. 

“You must keep that letter/’ she told him, “for 
you cannot always trust people. I have heard 
some queer stories of mean tricks which have been 
done. Then, you had better read the market 
prices every day in the paper, and cut the piece 
out, so you will know just exactly how much your 
berries are bringing. How I wish I could help 
you pick them . 11 

Monday morning Rod began to pick his first 
berries. The patch was not a large one, but it 
seemed big to him. Hour after hour he worked, 
and at times his back ached. The day was hot, 
and the perspiration poured down his face. But 
he kept faithfully at his task, stopping only long 


156 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


enough to eat his dinner. When supper time 
came he had twenty boxes of nice ripe berries 
lying side by side upon the kitchen table. He could 
not eat a bite until all had been placed safely in 
the crate, and then he stood back and gazed upon 
them with admiration. In fact, he had to come 
out several times before he went to bed to view 
his treasures. But at last the cover was placed 
on, nailed down, and the ticket tacked upon the 
top. 

Early the next morning Parson Dan and Rod 
took the berries to the wharf in the carriage, in 
time to catch the first steamer of the day. Thus 
at last his precious berries were off on their way 
to the city, and as Rod watched the Heather 
Bell as she glided away from the wharf he tried 
to catch a glimpse of his box where it was lying 
among the rest of the freight. He pictured Mr. 
McDutPs delight when he saw what fine berries 
he had received. 

That day Rod picked twenty more boxes, fifteen 
in the morning, and five during the afternoon. 
They were becoming scarcer now, and it would 
be necessary for him to let them ripen for a day 
before he could expect to fill a third crate. The 
rest of the afternoon he spent with the scouts. It 
was their regular meeting, at which they were to 
tell how they were getting along with the raising 
of money for their suits. The reports were by no 
means encouraging from most of the boys, as they 


UNEXPECTED ASSISTANCE 157 


had accomplished nothing. Rod alone told what 
he had done, and how much he hoped to make out 
of his berries. 

a I am going to earn every cent myself,” he 
said in conclusion , 4 1 and I am not going to get my 
suit until I can pay for it.” 

“Good fer you!” the captain exclaimed. 
“That’s the kind of talk I like to hear. And look 
here, you fellows,” he continued, turning to the 
rest of the scouts, “if ye want to remain in this 
troop ye’ve got to git a hustle on. I’ve got let¬ 
ters in my pocket from several boys who want 
to join. Some are willin’ to walk quite a distance, 
and if ye don’t want to obey orders, out ye go. 
A troop can’t be run right, any more than a ship, 
unless orders are obeyed. I’ll let yez off this time, 
but, remember, a week from to-day ye’ll report 
again, and then I’ll give my decision. That’ll do 
now, so let’s go fer a sail.” 

Every day Rod studied the price of berries 
in the newspaper, and cut out the list. He also 
kept his account in his little note-book. At the 
end of the first week he had made the following 
entries: 


“July 17th—20. boxes at 7 cents.$1.40 

“July 18th—20 boxes at 8 cents .. 1.60 

“July 20th—15 boxes at 7 cents .. 1.05 

“July 21st—10 boxes at 9 cents.90 


‘$4.95’ 







158 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


The next week he sent off several more boxes 
which amounted to three dollars according to his 
reckoning. He knew that the freight would have 
to come out of this, which he believed would not 
be over one dollar at the most. Thus he would 
have about seven dollars to spend upon his suit, 
billy-can, axe, haversack, knife, and several other 
things he saw in the scout list which had been sent 
from the store in the city where the supplies were 
kept. 

Rod showed his account to Captain Josh, and 
the latter believed that the figures were about 
right, as he had each day found out from the 
farmers what they had received for their berries. 
He was somewhat surprised that Peter McDuff 
had sent no regular statements to Rod. He, ac¬ 
cordingly, made careful inquiries from several 
people who knew McDuff, and what he learned 
gave him considerable uneasiness. 


CHAPTER XV 


IN’ THE CITY 

R OD was now very anxious to buy his scout 
suit. He thought of the money waiting for 
him in the city, and he spoke about it to Captain 
Josh. 

“I want to examine all the boys in the tender¬ 
foot tests/’ the captain replied. “The ones who 
are able to pass, and have earned the money for 
their suits will go with me to the city. The rest 
will have to stay at home.” 

The very next day the captain examined each 
scout separately. Rod was the only one who was 
able to pass all the tests, and had earned the 
money. The others felt somewhat sore because 
they could not ask their parents for the money, 
and thus go to the city with the captain. Several, 
in fact, were quite sulky. 

“Yez needn’t look like that,” the captain told 
them. “Ye’ve got only yerselves to blame that 
ye’re not ready. Ye’re like too many people to¬ 
day who expect to get things without workin’ fer 
them. But this troop is not run on sich lines. 
Some day ye’ll come bang up aginst another troop, 
and how’ll ye feel if ye git licked. Why, when I 
159 


160 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


asked some of you boys to tie a clove-hitch ye 
handed me out a reef-knot, which is nothin’ more 
than a i granny’ knot, which any one could tie. I 
want yez to do more than other people kin, or 
what’s the use of havin’ a troop 1 So git away 
home now, fer we’ll have no more fun until yez 
git through with yer work.” 

Rod was delighted at the idea of going to the 
city with the captain. 

“I’ll look after the boy,” the latter told Mr. 
and Mrs, Royal, “and I’ll see that he gits fair 
play, too. Ye’ll certainly be proud of him when 
he comes back wearin’ his scout suit.” 

The Royals were most thankful at the change 
which had come over the bluff old captain. It 
seemed almost incredible that such a transforma¬ 
tion should take place in him in such a short time. 
It was the influence of their little boy, they were 
well aware, which had done it, and they often 
talked about the way they had been criticised for 
having taken the lad into their home and hearts. 
They thought, too, of his mother, and the mystery 
concerning her instead of lessening, deepened as 
the months rolled by. She never failed to send 
her weekly letter, and the money each month. 
Rod’s bank account was steadily growing, for the 
Royals had not spent one cent of it, even though 
at times they felt the need of some of it when the 
money due from the parish was much in arrears. 

They were greatly puzzled that Rod’s mother 


IN THE CITY 


161 


did not come to see him. In every letter she wrote 
of her longing for her boy, and how she hoped to 
come some day. She had said the same thing for 
years until it had become an old story now. To 
Rod his real mother was a visionary person, who 
wrote to him every week and sent him money. But 
apart from these things she was of little interest 
to him. His world was in Hillcrest, and not far 
away in some big city. 

The next day Captain Josh and his charge 
reached the city, when they went at once to Peter 
McDutFs store. They were kept waiting for some 
time, as the owner was not in. When he returned 
the captain stated the object of their visit, and 
how the boy wished to get his money in order to 
buy his scout suit. 

Going into his little office, McDuff remained 
there for about ten minutes, which seemed much 
longer to those waiting outside. When he did 
come out he handed the captain the account he 
had made up, and then proceeded to thumb over 
several bills. 

Captain Josh examined the paper carefully, and 
then handed it to Rod without a word of com¬ 
ment. The latter gave one quick glance, and his 
face became pale, while his eyes grew big with 
astonishment. 

“What is it, lad?” the captain queried. “Find 
somethin’ queer there, eh?” 

“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “I don’t understand 


162 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


it at all. I sent down one hundred boxes, and this 
paper gives only eighty. And, oh, look, he pays 
only six cents a box,” and Rod held np the ac¬ 
count for the captain to see. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” and Captain 
Josh turned suddenly upon McDuff, who was 
keenly watching the two. “This boy sent you 
down one hundred boxes of strawberries. I was 
at the wharf myself when each crate was shipped, 
and I counted them, though Rod didn’t know it. 
Then you give him here only six cents a box when 
they were bringing from seven to nine. Surely 
there has been some mistake.” 

“There has been no mistake,” McDuff angrily 
returned. “I never make mistakes. Only eighty 
boxes were sent to me, and six cents is all they 
were worth. You can take that or nothing. I am 
too busy to waste all the morning talking. Here’s 
your money,” and he held out four dollars and 
eighty cents to Rod. 

“Don’t take it, lad,” and the captain reached 
out a restraining hand. “The full amount or 
nothin’. Is that all ye’ll give?” he asked, turning 
to McDuff. 

“Not a cent more. It’s all I got, and it’s all 
they were worth.” 

For an instant the captain looked the store¬ 
keeper full in the face. Then glancing quickly 
around the store, and seeing a telephone, he moved 
toward it. 


IN THE CITY 


163 


“ You can’t use my phone,” McDuff cried, feel¬ 
ing sure that the captain had some special object 
in view. 

“I can’t, eh? Well, if yon say so, that settles 
it. I kin git one next door. I only want to call 
up my lawyer, that’s all. He knows me pretty 
well. I’d like to use other means to settle this 
matter, but I guess Lawyer Allen’s advice might 
be the better way.” 

“What! you don’t mean to go to law over this 
little matter, do you?” McDuff anxiously en¬ 
quired. 

“Certainly I do. It isn’t the amount so much 
as the principle. Ye’re tryin’ to cheat a little boy, 
and I’m goin’ to stand by him, I don’t care how 
much it costs. I’m scoutmaster, and he’s patrol 
leader of the Hillcrest troop, and if ye think ye 
kin do him a mean trick, then ye’re mighty much 
mistaken.” 

4 ‘ But look here, ’ ’ McDuff angrily replied. “You 
seem to be making a big fuss over nothing. And, 
besides, you’ve charged me with cheating that 
boy, and I’ll make you take back your words. 
Two can play at this game. ’ ’ 

“No doubt they kin,” the captain reflectively 
answered as he moved toward the door. “But 
look, Peter McDuff, it makes a great difference 
who’s in the right, and who kin back up his state¬ 
ments. It’s no use fer us to argue any longer. 
Come on, Rod.” 


164 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


‘ ‘ Wait a minute/’ the storekeeper called out, 
when he saw that the captain meant business, 
“ maybe we can arrange this affair without going 
to law. I’m willing to come to some reasonable 
terms. "What will you take to settle? Split the 
difference, eh?” 

“No. Not one cent less than what’s cornin’ to 
the boy. That or nothin ’. I ’ll give ye five minutes 
to think it over,” and the captain, coming back 
into the store, seated himself upon a barrel of 
flour. 

McDuff was angry, there was no doubt about 
that. Customers who came into the store, and 
were waited upon by the clerk, were astonished at 
the conversation which was going on between the 
two men. But McDuff paid no heed to them. He 
wanted to get clear of this troublesome country¬ 
man. He little realised that a few boxes of berries 
less would cause such a fuss. He had done the 
same tiling before, and had bluffed out of paying. 
But now it was different. He stood in the centre 
of the floor for a few seconds, frowning, and 
longing to express himself in violent words. Pres¬ 
ently he turned and went again into his office. 
"When he came out he handed the captain a new 
account. 

“There, will that suit you?” he demanded. 
“Rather than have you say that I cheated the 
boy, I am willing to pay him for more berries than 


IN THE CITY 


165 


he ever sent me, and to give a higher price than 
they were bringing at the time.” 

Captain Josh took the account and studied it 
carefully. 

4 4 That looks better, ’ 9 he remarked. ‘ ‘ Eight dol¬ 
lars in all, and with the freight deducted leaves 
just seven dollars. Yes, that will do, I guess. 
Now fer the money.” 

When several crisp bills had been handed over, 
and the account receipted, Captain Josh turned 
to the storekeeper. 

44 Jist a word before we go, Peter McDuff,” he 
began. “It i3 well fer you that ye’ve settled up 
this business at once. I advise ye not to try any 
more of yer tricks upon people after this, espe¬ 
cially upon a boy scout. If ye’d held out, and had 
not paid that money, Pda fixed ye so ye’d been no 
longer in a position to cheat any one. I have 
enough evidence to knock ye sky-high. Ye may 
thank yer stars that ye have a little sense left, 
even if ye haven’t any honour.” 

The storekeeper made no reply, but turning on 
his heel, left them. 

After Captain Josh and Bod had eaten their 
dinner at a restaurant, they started off to buy the 
scout suit. The boy was greatly excited over 
this, and his eyes bulged with astonishment when 
he saw so many suits and other supplies for the 
scouts. 


166 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Ye must do a big business here,” the captain 
remarked to the clerk. 

“We certainly do,” was the reply. “There 
are over six hundred scouts in the city, and most 
of them get their outfits here. I suppose you’ll 
be at the big parade this evening?” 

“What parade?” 

‘ 4 The scouts are to turn out in a body, when they 
will be inspected by the Lieutenant-Governor. 
He is to give them an address, so I understand, 
on the Y. M. C. A. grounds. It will be a big 
affair, and well worth attending.” 

This was too good an opportunity to miss, so 
the captain and Rod went early to the place of 
meeting. The former wished to see what other 
scouts did, and he had planned to come to the 
city on purpose to visit several of the troops in 
their own rooms. But now he could view them all 
together, which would be far better. 

At half past seven the mayor, with several of 
the city officials, accompanied the Lieutenant- 
Governor as he rode up in a big auto. They all 
dismounted and took their seats upon the tem¬ 
porary grand-stand which had been erected. They 
had not long to wait ere the sound of music was 
heard, and presently down the street the head of 
the big procession appeared in view. As the 
scouts swung up, Rod’s heart beat fast, and even 
the captain stood straighter than usual. There 
was something inspiring about the way those 


IN THE CITY 


167 


boys, six hundred strong, advanced, in full uni¬ 
form, with sloping staves. They marched well, 
with bodies erect, and as they moved by the stand 
they gave the full salute. Then they swung 
around and lined up before the Lieutenant-Gov¬ 
ernor. 

By this time a large crowd had gathered, and 
a cheer went up at the splendid conduct of the 
scouts. When this had died down, the mayor 
spoke a few words of encouragement, and then 
introduced the chief official of the province. 

Captain Josh and Bod were quite near and 
could hear every word the Lieutenant-Governor 
uttered. He was proud of them, so he said, and 
his heart had been greatly stirred by what he had 
witnessed. He was glad to know that there were 
so many scouts in the city, and he wished that all 
the scouts in the province were present on this 
occasion. 

After speaking for awhile, and giving them 
some words of advice, he outlined a plan 
over which he said he had given considerable 
thought. He wanted the scouts to be thrifty, and 
to open up bank accounts. He hoped to meet them 
again in a year’s time, and that troop, whether 
in the city or any other part of the province, show¬ 
ing the biggest bank account in proportion to its 
size, would receive a prize. A friend of his, who 
wished to remain unknown, had made this sugges¬ 
tion, and offered to present a bugle-band to the 


168 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


winning troop. Each bank-book had to be handed 
in to the Provincial Secretary, together with a de- 
tailed.account as to how the moneyhadbeen raised, 
and signed by the scoutmaster. Further instruc¬ 
tions would be given later. All other troops which 
had competed would each receive a troop-flag. 

When he was through the scouts gave him 
three rousing cheers and a ‘‘tiger.’’ After 
the National Anthem had been sung, the band once 
more struck up, the scouts formed into line, and 
were soon swinging on their way back to their 
various headquarters. 

Captain Josh and Rod said very little as they 
walked along the street toward the hotel where 
they were to spend the night. But when once 
within the room which had been assigned to them, 
the captain laid his right hand upon his com¬ 
panion’s shoulder. 

“Hillcrest troop must win that prize, lad,” he 
remarked. 

“Can we do it, captain?” was the reply. 

“Do it? Sure we kin. We may be the smallest 
troop in the province, but we’ll show them a 
thing or two.” 

In his dreams that night Rod saw once again 
the six hundred scouts. But they seemed different 
now, for among them was the Hillcrest troop re¬ 
ceiving from the Lieutenant-Governor the coveted 
bugle-band, amidst the wild cheers of the other 
troops. 


CHAPTER XVI 


WHYN DECIDES 

T HERE was considerable excitement among 
the Hillcrest troop when Captain Josh and 
Rod returned home. The rest of the scouts were 
at the wharf to meet them, and marched with them 
at once to Whyn *s room. The new scout suit was 
greatly admired, and the jealous ones had enough 
sense to keep quiet. In fact, they were too much 
ashamed to say anything, so they sat and listened 
to what was going on. Whyn was delighted, and 
made Rod stand before her while she examined 
him with critical eyes. 

“My, I wish you all had suits like that,” she 
sighed, “then you would look something like a 
troop. Soldiers never seem of much account until 
they get their uniforms on.” 

Captain Josh then told of the trouble they had 
had with Peter McDuff, and how at last he had 
been compelled to pay what was right. 

“Good for you!” Whyn exclaimed. “You’re 
the right kind of a scoutmaster to have. I shall 
tell that to Douglas when I write again.” 

When the captain told about the parade of the 
169 


170 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


six hundred scouts, and what the Lieutenant- 
Governor had said, the enthusiasm became very 
keen. The scouts’ eyes sparkled with interest, and 
all began to talk at once. Yes, they would win the 
prize, they declared, and they would buy a motor- 
boat with the money they earned. Though they 
had spoken about such a boat before, the captain 
had scoffed at the idea, saying that the Roaring 
Bess was good enough for him. But deep in his 
heart he longed for a motor-boat even more than 
the boys. The yacht was all right for pleasure, 
but it was hardly suited for business, such as 
fishing, and carrying passengers over the river. 
If the scouts could earn enough money to buy a 
motor-boat he could have the use of it. 

How to earn the money was the important ques¬ 
tion, and many were the ideas suggested. One 
boy thought they might catch rabbits next winter; 
another wished to go over to the big island and 
dig for gold which Captain Kidd was supposed 
to have buried there. All expressed their views 
except Rod. He waited until the rest were through 
before speaking. 

“Let us leave it to Whyn,” he at last suggested. 
“She always has some plan, and will know what 
we might do first.” 

‘ ‘ That’s good,’ ’ the captain agreed. ‘‘ We can’t 
do better than that.” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” the girl laughingly replied. 
“You might make a mistake if you let me choose.” 


WHYN DECIDES 171 

“No, no,” came in chorus. “You’ll do all 
right.” 

“Very well, then, I’ll do the best I can, though 
you’ll have to give until to-morrow to decide. I 
want to sleep on it to-night.” 

“But no lyin’ awake, remember,” the captain 
warned. “Ye’re not to stay awake thinkin’ it all 
over. If ye do, I’ll wash my hands of the whole 
affair.” 

“No fear of that, captain,” and Whyn smiled 
up into his face. Such a smile as that was worth 
a great deal to the old man, though he never 
spoke of it to any one. “There is one thing, 
however,” the girl continued, “which must be 
done before we begin to earn that money.” 

“And what’s that?” the captain inquired. 

“All the scouts must have their suits. It will 
be necessary if the plan which has just come into 
my mind can be worked out.” 

“Hey, d’ye hear that?” the captain roared, as 
if he were giving orders to a rebellious crew. 
“Ye must have yer suits, and then we’ll git down 
to work in dead earnest.” 

Rod was anxious to get home to show Mr. and 
Mrs. Royal his new suit. They had been wait¬ 
ing for him for some time, and were quite anxious, 
as the steamer had been up for over an hour. 
When he entered the dining-room they thought 
that they had never beheld such a fine-looking hoy. 
Their hearts swelled with pride, and Mrs. Royal 


172 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


secretly brushed away a tear with the corner of 
her apron. 

Rod told them all about what they had done in 
the city, about Peter McDuff, the parade, and how 
the Hillcrest troop was going to enter the contest 
for the prize. This was of much interest to the 
Royals, and they sat at the table later than usual 
discussing the whole matter. 

“I have important news for you this evening, 
Rodney,” Parson Dan after a while informed 
him. “I had a letter from your mother to-day, 
and she says that she hopes to pay us a visit some¬ 
time this summer. ’’ 

‘ 1 Oh! ” It was all that the boy could say, but 
several anxious thoughts surged through his 
mind. Was his mother coming to take him away? 
he wondered. He did not wish to go, as all of his 
interests were centred in Hillcrest. 

Mr. and Mrs. Royal, too, looked grave. They 
had thought of the same idea. Would Rod’s 
mother ask them to give up the boy? How could 
they part with him? they asked themselves. 

“When is she coming, grandad?” Rod at last 
asked. 

“She doesn’t say, so we may expect her at al¬ 
most any time. ’ ’ 

“I don’t want to see her,” the boy cried, while 
tears started in his eyes. 

“Don’t want to see your mother, Rodney!” 
the clergyman exclaimed in surprise. 


WHYN DECIDES 


173 


‘‘Yes, in a way I want to see her,” was the fal¬ 
tering reply. 1 i But if she wants to take me away, 
I don’t want her to come. Oh, don’t let her take 
me, grandad,” and Rod sprang to his feet, and 
stood beseechingly before the parson. “Why 
should she come for me now! If she wanted me 
very much, why didn’t she come before?” 

“There, there, dear, don’t worry,” Mrs. 
Royal soothed. “It is hardly likely that your 
mother will wish to take you away from us. It is 
only natural that she should long to see you. 
There must be some good reason why she could 
not come before. You had better go to bed now, 
for you must be tired after your busy day.” 

The scouts were anxious to know what plan 
Whyn would suggest for raising money, and so 
they were earlier than usual at her room on the 
following afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and 
through the open window drifted the scent of flow¬ 
ers, and new-mown hay. It was a cool refreshing 
spot, this little room, where the bright-faced girl 
received her visitors. Captain Josh was not pres¬ 
ent, as he had work to do in his garden. 

Whyn greeted the boys with a smile, and after 
they had seated themselves upon chairs and the 
floor, she plunged at once into the subject of spe¬ 
cial interest. 

“Let’s give a concert,” she abruptly began. 

“A what?” the boys exclaimed. 

“A concert and a tea. Don’t you understand? 


174 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


I have been talking it over with the captain and 
Mrs. Britt, and they think it a good idea. The 
plan is this: We shall invite all the people in the 
place to come early before it gets dark. They 
can gather in front of the house so I can see what 
is going on. We will ask Parson Dan to give a 
speech, and then you scouts will show what you 
can do. You will give a talk on the flag, tie the 
knots, say the scout law, and do some signalling. 
After that the captain will march you up and 
down before the people, and you will do the staff- 
drill which he is going to teach you. Then you 
will sell ice-cream and candy. Each scout is to 
bring something, and Mrs. Britt will make the 
candy. Perhaps other people will assist, too. Oh, 
it will be grand! ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ How much do you think we will make, Whyn ?’ ’ 
one of the boys asked. “Can’t we have some¬ 
thing bigger than that? It will take a long time to 
earn much money that way. ’’ 

“It will be a beginning, though/’ was the quiet 
reply. “We must not expect to raise all the money 
at once. After we are through with this we can 
try something else. We might get fifty people to 
come, and if we sell tickets at ten cents each that 
will bring us in five dollars. I am sure the sum¬ 
mer people will come, and we may have more than 
fifty. Then, we should make five dollars from the 
refreshments, and that will be ten dollars in all, 
which will not be too bad for a start.’’ 


WHYN DECIDES 


175 


The scouts finally agreed to what Wliyn said, 
and they spent considerable time talking over the 
whole affair, and arranging their plans. The 
interest now became very keen, and when the 
tickets had been made each boy undertook to sell 
as many as he could. In a week’s time all the 
tickets were sold, and more had to be made by 
Mrs. Britt and Whyn. 

The scouts practised hard for the important 
event, and Captain Josh spared no pains in his 
efforts to drill them as thoroughly as possible. 
Each one had now passed the tenderfoot tests, 
and were ready for their badges. They had also 
earned the money for their suits, and it was a 
great day when all appeared before Whyn dressed 
in their complete uniforms. The girl was de¬ 
lighted, and her eyes sparkled with joy as the cap¬ 
tain marched them up and down outside her win¬ 
dow. 

The big affair was to take place Thursday eve¬ 
ning, and when the scouts visited Whyn on Mon¬ 
day afternoon they were in fine spirits. Every¬ 
thing had been arranged, many tickets had been 
sold, and it looked as if the concert would be a 
great success. They found the invalid girl quieter 
than they had ever seen her before, though she 
greeted them with her usual smile and listened to 
them for several minutes as they talked about 
scout matters. 

“There is something which troubles me,” Whyn 


176 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


at length remarked. 4 4 Every concert should have 
singing, or music of some kind. Now, we have not 
arranged for one song, and I am sure the people 
who come will be disappointed. I am so fond of 
singing myself that I know how much it will be 
missed. But I suppose it can’t be helped. I wish 
you boys could sing. ’ ’ 

“ Maybe some of the choir members would 
come,” Rod suggested. 

“Oh, do you think they would?” Whyn eagerly 
asked. 

“Iam not quite sure that they will. But I will 
speak to grandad about it. I know he will do all 
he can to help.” 

“I hope they will come,” and Whyn gave a 
tired sigh. “I haven’t heard any singing for such 
a long time, that I am hungry for it. I had such a 
wonderful letter from Douglas to-day,” she con¬ 
tinued, after a slight pause. ‘ ‘ He says that Anna 
Royanna, the great new American singer, has 
been in Ottawa, and he heard her one night. She 
is quite young, so he writes, very beautiful, and 
with such a sad sweet face. The people went 
fairly wild over her voice, and she had to sing 
one piece twice before they would let her stop. 
And do you know, she is coming to St. John, and 
will be at the Opera House on Wednesday night. 
Just think of it!” and Whyn’s eyes glowed with 
enthusiasm, while she clasped her thin white hands 
together. “She will be there, so near, and yet I 


WHYN DECIDES 177 

won’t be able to bear her. But mamma will tell 
me about it, and that will be something.” 

The scouts did not remain long in Whyn’s room 
that afternoon. They knew that she was tired, 
and so when they left her they made their way 
to the shore, and sat down upon the sand under 
the shade of a large willow tree. They were un¬ 
usually silent now, for all were thinking of what 
Whyn had told them about the wonderful singer. 

“Isn’t it too bad,” Rod suddenly began, 44 that 
Whyn can’t hear her sing!” 

“She can’t go to the city, that’s sure,” Phil 
Dexter replied, giving the stick he was holding 
a savage thrust into the yielding sand. 

“Maybe she’d come here,” Billy Potter sug¬ 
gested. 

This was a brilliant idea, and the scouts looked 
at one another, while the light of hope brightened 
their faces. 

“Would she come!” that was the question each 
asked himself. These boys knew nothing about 
the ways of the great world beyond their own 
parish. If they did they would have known how 
utterly ridiculous was the thought of a famous 
singer coming all the way to such an unknown 
place as Hillcrest to sing to an invalid girl. But 
to them their little circle was everything, and the 
idea of such a noted person coming was nothing 
out of the ordinary. 


178 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“How much do you think she’d want?” Tommy 
Bunker queried. 

“Let’s give her half what we make,” Rod sug¬ 
gested. “And look,” he continued, “we mustn’t 
say a word to Captain Josh or Whyn, or to any¬ 
body else. Let it be a big surprise to all. If she 
comes we can keep her hid until the very last, and 
then she can come out and sing just like people do 
in story-books. Wouldn’t Whyn be surprised and 
delighted?” 

“But who’s going to ask her?” Phil enquired. 
“Father’s going to the city on Wednesday, for I 
heard him say so this morning. Maybe he would 
see her.” 

“But we mustn’t let him know anything about 
it,” Rod warned. “Why couldn’t you go with 
him, Phil?” 

“I wouldn’t like to go alone,” was the reply. 
“She’d scare me, and I wouldn’t know what to 
say. I’ll go, for one, if dad’ll let me, and I guess 
he will. Then, if you’ll come, too, Rod, I’ll go 
with you to see her. You can do the talking, and 
I’ll back you up.” 

“Mighty poor backing, I should say,” Joe Mar¬ 
tin retorted, with a grin. ‘ ‘ Better take some one 
with more spunk, Rod. I think you should go, 
though, as patrol-leader. ’ ’ 

“I guess Phil will do all right,” Rod replied. 
“We could go to hear her sing, that’s if I can go. 
I will find out about it and let you know.” 


CHAPTER XVII 


ANNA KOYANNA 

R OD had no opportunity that evening of speak¬ 
ing to Parson Dan or Mrs. Royal about the 
wonderful singer. There were visitors at the rec¬ 
tory for tea, and he was in bed before they left. 
He thought very much about it, nevertheless, and 
in his sleep he dreamed that he was listening to 
Miss Royanna. He could see her quite plainly, 
just as Whyn had described her, and he was so 
disappointed when he awoke and found himself 
in his own little room, and not in the Opera House 
with the singer before him. 

1 ‘ I was reading in the paper last night, ’ ’ Parson 
Dan remarked, just after they had sat down to 
breakfast, “that a famous singer is coming to 
the city. Her name is Anna Royanna, and she 
will be at the Opera House Wednesday night. 
Wouldn’t you like to go, dear?” and he looked 
across the table at his wife. 

“ I ’m afraid not, ” was the reply. ‘ ‘ The Ladies ’ 
Aid will meet here on that day, and so I could not 
possibly leave. Why don’t you go, Daniel? You 
179 


180 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


are fond of good singing, and it is so seldom that 
you get away from the parish.’’ 

1 1 It is utterly out of the question, Martha , 71 the 
clergyman sadly returned. “I have to bury old 
Mrs. Fisk at Stony Creek to-morrow afternoon .’ 9 

‘ ‘ Oh, I had forgotten about that, Daniel. Isn’t 
it always the way when anything of special im¬ 
portance comes to the city? You have never been 
able to attend.” 

“It seems so. But never mind, dear, we are 
going to take a long holiday next summer, and 
that will make up for much we have lost.” 

“May I go, grandad?” Rod suddenly asked. 

“Go where, Rodney? With us next summer?” 

“No, hut to hear Miss Roy anna.” 

“You!” and the parson straightened himself 
up. “Why, I didn’t know that you would care to 
go.” 

“But I do, grandad. Phil Dexter is going with 
his father to the city to-morrow, and why couldn’t 
I go along with them? Phil and I could go to 
hear Miss Royanna ourselves if Mr. Dexter 
doesn’t want to go. Oh, may I?” 

“Well, we shall think it over,” the parson re¬ 
plied, “and let you know later.” 

That afternoon Mrs. Royal told Rod that he 
could go to the city. It might do him good, so 
she said, to hear such a famous singer. She knew 
that she could trust him to behave himself, no 
matter where he was. 


ANNA ROYANNA 


181 


Rod was delighted, and hurried over at once to 
inform the rest of the scouts, who were already 
gathered at Headquarters. In the paper which 
came that day from the city there was a long piece 
about Anna Royanna, and Parson Dan read it 
aloud that evening. It told how this wonderful 
singer had sprung suddenly into fame during the 
last year. She had been singing before but had 
attracted little attention until one night a noted 
foreign singer heard her voice at a party given in 
a private house. It was through him that such 
success had come to her. 

Rod and Phil were fortunate in obtaining seats 
in the Opera House, the only two which were left. 
As they looked around upon the crowded place 
they were for a time somewhat bewildered. They 
were not accustomed to seeing so many people 
together, and they felt very small and insignifi¬ 
cant. Several people watched with interest the 
two boys who stared at everything and everybody 
in such undisguised wonder. But Rod and Phil 
did not care. They wanted to see and hear Miss 
Royanna and it did not matter to them what peo¬ 
ple thought. 

The curtain at last slowly rose, and a deep 
hush passed throughout the building. Then a 
woman moved quietly to the centre of the stage. 
Rod sat bolt upright when he saw her. He paid 
no attention to the storm of applause which 
greeted her appearance. He saw her bend her 


182 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


head slightly in acknowledgment of the reception 
she received. Never before had he seen such a 
beautiful woman, and his heart went out to her 
at once. What would Whyn say when she saw 
her! he asked himself. Then a doubt flashed into 
his mind. Would this marvellous woman listen 
to him! Would she be willing to go all the way 
to Hillcrest to sing to a helpless girl! He felt 
his courage slowly oozing away and he almost 
wished that he did not have to speak to her. 
Would she have anything to say to him? He won¬ 
dered. He noted her dress; how beautiful it was! 
And her face, he could see it quite plainly, was 
sweet, and yet sad, just as Whyn had described 
it from her brother’s letter. 

Rod was presently aroused from his medita¬ 
tion by the sweetest sound he ever heard. He 
thought there must be a bird singing somewhere 
on* the stage. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he 
was dreaming. But, no, it was only the woman 
standing before him, and she was singing. As he 
listened to her he could not help thinking of the 
fields in Hillcrest, of the birds and flowers, which 
he knew and loved. And thus his thoughts would 
wander every time she sang. It was so strange 
that he could not account for it, and he wondered 
if Phil felt the same way. Now he was tucked in 
his little bed at home, with the wind sobbing 
around the house, and the rain beating against 
the window. Then, he saw soldiers marching, and 


ANNA ROYANNA 


183 


horses galloping, such as he had seen in pictures. 
Once he was sure that he was lying on the grass 
beneath the shade of an old tree with the bees 
humming around him, and the grasshoppers play¬ 
ing upon their funny musical saws. He felt angry 
whenever the people made a noise, and drove the 
pictures away. He didn’t think of the singer now, 
of how she was dressed, or what she looked like, 
and he didn’t remember even one word she had 
uttered. He hardly realised that he was in the 
big Opera House with the crowd of people about 
him. 

But there was one piece, and the last, which he 
did remember. It was the way the woman sang 
it which had such an effect. He was sure that 
there were tears in her eyes. His own were misty, 
anyway. She said that she always closed with it, 
and it was called, “My Little Lad, God Bless 
Him.” That appealed to Rod. So this woman, 
then, had a little boy, and he wanted to hear what 
she had to say about him. The very first words 
arrested his attention. 

“There’s a little lad, God bless him! 

And he’s all the world to me; 

Guide him, Lord, through life’s long journey, 

Guard him, keep him safe to Thee. 

Refrain : 

“You’re my only little laddie. 

Golden hair, and eyes of blue; 

God, who made the birds and flowers, 

Chose the best when He made you. 


184 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Streams may ripple, birds may carol, 
Twinkling stars may dance and shine, 

But life’s sweetest joy and rapture 
Is to know that you are mine. 

Refrain : 

“You’re my only little laddie, etc. 

“Parted, though, by time and distance, 
Hearts can never sundered be. 

Love Divine, oh, still unite us, 

Strong to each, and strong in Thee. 

Refrain : 

“You’re my only little laddie, 

Golden hair, and eyes of blue; 

God, who made the birds and flowers, 
Chose the best when He made you.” 


Rod paid little heed to the storm of applause 
which greeted this song, and when it was repeated 
he did not follow the words as closely as before. 
He was thinking about that boy, and wondering 
where he was. He was sure that the woman was 
almost crying when she got through. What made 
her feel so badly? Was her boy away from her 
somewhere, and if she wanted him so much, why 
didn’t she go to see him? 

At last the curtain dropped, and the concert was 
over. As the people began to go out, Rod over¬ 
heard what those nearest to him were saying. 
They were loud in their praise of the singer. 

“It was that last piece which caught me,” he 


ANNA ROYANNA 185 

heard one man say. ‘ ‘ It wasn ’t the words so much 
as the way she sang it.” 

“I was crying when she got through,” his com¬ 
panion, a woman, replied. “I just couldn’t help 
it. She’s had trouble in her life, mark my word.” 

Rod and Phil now were uncertain what to do. 
They remained where they were until the people 
in front of them had all passed out. They felt 
very helpless and forlorn there in that big place. 
The curtain was down, and the singer had dis¬ 
appeared. But they must find her, and she was 
somewhere on the stage in the background. They 
knew nothing about the regular way of entrance, 
and, so, after a moment’s consultation, they hur¬ 
ried forward down the long central aisle. Coming 
to the stage, they clambered upon this, made their 
way along the edge, and slipped quickly about the 
left-hand comer of the curtain. Behind this no 
one was to be seen, but observing a door to the 
right, they made straight toward it. They had 
scarcely reached it, when they were met by a 
pompous little man, who demanded what they 
were doing there. 

“We want to see Miss Royanna,” Rod replied, 
shrinking back somewhat from the man’s fierce 
look. 

“See Miss Royanna!” the man shouted in sur¬ 
prise. “If that isn’t the limit! Well, she can’t 
be seen, that’s all there is about it.” 


186 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“But we have come all the way to see her,” 
Rod insisted. 

“All the way from where?” 

“From Hillcrest.” 

“Ho, ho! that’s a good one. D’ye think she’d 
see snch bushies as you? Get out of this, or I’ll 
chuck you.” 

“But we must see her,” and Rod stepped boldly 
forward. “It’s very important.” 

“Get out of this, I say,” and the man caught 
him roughly by the shoulders, wheeled him 
around, and was about to send him headlong out 
upon the stage, when a stern voice arrested him. 

“What’s all this about, Ben?” 

“I’m kicking these two bushies out, sir, for 
their impudence in coming here,” the little man 
replied, letting go of his grip upon the boy. 

As Rod turned, his heart gave a great leap, for 
there before him stood the very man with “the 
splendid eyes and grey hair,” who had so won 
Miss Arabella’s heart. 

For a few seconds John Markham eyed the 
two boys. Rod’s face looked familiar, but he 
could not recall where he had seen it before. He 
was always meeting so many people that it was 
hard for him to remember them all. Perhaps this 
was one of the newsboys, and that was the rea¬ 
son why he recognised his face. 

“What do you want, my lad?” he kindly en¬ 
quired. 


ANNA ROYANNA 187 

“We want to see Miss Royanna,” was the 
reply. 

A smile passed over the manager’s face at the 
idea of the famous singer entertaining such com¬ 
pany. 

“I am afraid that Miss Royanna is too tired 
to see you to-night,” he replied. “She gave strict 
instructions that no one was to be admitted.” 

“But we have come all the way from Hillcrest 
to see her,” and Rod lifted his blue eyes ap¬ 
pealingly to the man’s face. “It’s very im¬ 
portant, sir.” 

“From Hillcrest, did you say,” and light now 
began to dawn upon Mr. Markham’s mind. “And 
how is Miss Arabella?” he asked, while an amused 
twinkle shone in his eyes. 

“Oh, she’s well, I guess. But may we see Miss 
Royanna? It’s so important, and we won’t tire 
her very much.” 

John Markham remained silent for a while. 
He did not wish to turn these little lads away 
now, but he wondered whether the singer would 
mind if he should take them in. He had a great 
respect for Miss Royanna, for it was seldom that 
he was able to obtain such a notable person, and 
from the time that she had accepted his invitation 
to come he had been greatly puzzled. Why should 
she have been so willing to come to St. John, when 
cities four to five times the size were clamouring 


188 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


for her? But she had written, accepting at once, 
and had seemed really glad to come. 

“Wait here,” he at last ordered, as he turned 
on his heel, “and I shall see what I can do with 
Miss Royanna.” 


CHAPTER XVni 


THE WAY OF THE HEAET 


NNA ROYANNA was very tired, and she 



was sitting in an old easy chair waiting for 
the manager to come to take her to the hotel. She 
leaned back in a listless manner, with her inclined 
head leaning upon her right hand. It was a small 
hand, and very white. Her dark hair partly 
shrouded her face of singular beauty and sweet¬ 
ness. But lines of care were plainly visible, and 
as she waited there this night those lines deepened. 
She was much depressed, notwithstanding the 
reception she had received from the crowded 
house. She had been told that she was expected 
to sing at the matinee on the morrow, and this 
was not at all to her liking. She had been plan¬ 
ning something of a far different nature. She had 
engagements for weeks ahead, and she had only 
come to St. John when asked to do so that she 
might carry out an idea which had long been in 
her mind. But now this must be abandoned for 
the present if she consented to sing at the matinee, 
as she must leave the city early the next morning. 

While she was thinking over these things, the 


189 


190 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


door softly opened, and John Markham entered. 

“Are yon ready to go?” she enquired. 

“Yon are very tired,” was the reply, “and it is 
no wonder. But yon made a great hit to-night, 
and I have been almost swamped with requests 
from visitors who wish to see you. Some were 
determined to enter, especially women, and I had 
to he very firm, in fact almost rude.” 

“You were quite right, Mr. Markham,” and 
the woman lifted her eyes to his face. i ‘ I have no 
desire to see such people. I know them only too 
well. They are quite willing to fawn upon me 
now when I have met with some success. But one 
time when I was poor and struggling they treated 
me like a dog. I suppose Mrs. Featson, Mrs. 
Juatty, Mrs. Merden, and other women of their 
set were there.” 

“Oh, yes, and they were most insistent. But 
how do you know of them?” and the manager 
looked astonished. “I thought that you were an 
entire stranger here.” 

“So I am, in a way,” and a slight smile over¬ 
spread the woman’s face. “But I know those 
women to my sorrow. Some day, perhaps, I may 
be able to tell you more, but not to-night. Are 
you ready to go now?” 

“Just a moment, Miss Royanna,” and the man¬ 
ager motioned her not to rise. “There are two 
little boys outside, who are very anxious to see 
you,” 


THE WAY OF THE HEART 


191 


“Boys! to see me?” 

“Yes. They came from the country, and will 
not leave, so they say, until they see you.” 

“What do they want?” 

“ I do not know. But I am acquainted with one 
of the little chaps, as I met him this summer. I 
have a good story to tell you when you get rested. 
Shall I bring them in? They will not keep you 
long.’ ’ 

“Yes, let them come,” was the reply. “I love 
boys; there is no pretence about them.” 

Rod’s heart beat fast as he followed Mr. Mark¬ 
ham into the presence of the great singer. What 
should he say? he asked himself. Would the 
woman be willing to go? Phil crept close at his 
heels, of no more use than a kitten. 

As Rod approached, Miss Royanna held out her 
hand. 

“So you want to see me?” she began. “I am 
not very often favoured with a visit from boys.” 

Rod felt more at home now. These words had 
put him at ease. He looked keenly into the wo¬ 
man’s eyes, and what he saw there gave him great 
encouragement. In truth, Miss Royanna was 
much impressed with his manly bearing. He stood 
so erect, with his blue eyes looking straight into 
hers. For an instant there flashed into her mind 
the idea that she had seen those eyes before. 
Some chord of memory was stirred, which affected 


192 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


her in a remarkable manner. She tried to recall 
something, hut in vain. 

“ You wish to speak to me, so I understand,” she 
encouraged, noting Rod’s embarrassment. 

4 ‘Yes, please, if I may. But I’m afraid now 
that you won’t do it.” 

“Do what?” 

“Come to our concert.” 

“Your concert! Where is it to be held?” 

“At Captain Josh’s, and Whyn would like to 
hear you sing so much. You see, the scouts are 
getting up a concert to raise money, and we want 
some one to sing. Whyn is sick, and can’t walk. 
She heard about you from her brother, Douglas. 
She couldn’t come herself to hear you, so we have 
come to ask you to help us out, and sing for Whyn. 
It would be a great surprise for Whyn, as she 
knows nothing about what we are doing. We will 
give you half what we make at the concert.” 

John Markham turned suddenly around, so 
that the boys could not see the amusement upon 
his face. He wanted to laugh outright, so funny 
did it all seem. He longed to rush out and tell 
some of his friends the whole story. The thought 
of the famous woman being asked to go to sing in 
an out-of-the-way country place, and to receive 
half the proceeds, tickled him immensely. 

Miss Royanna was also amused, and her eyes 
twinkled as Rod blurted out his request. And 
yet there was something about his straightforward 


THE WAY OF THE HEART 


193 


manner which appealed to her. She thought, too, 
of the sick girl, and the spirit of true chivalry 
which had caused these two boys to come all the 
way to the city for her sake. How disappointed 
they would be when she told them how utterly im¬ 
possible it would be for her to go. 

“ Where is this concert to take place ?” she at 
length enquired. 

‘ ‘ At Headquarters, just in front of Whyn’s 
window, so she can see and hear,” was the reply. 

< ‘ Yes, but where ? How far is it from the city ? ’ ’ 

“Oh, I forgot that,” and Rod smiled. “I 
thought everybody knew that Captain Josh lived 
at Hillcrest.” 

“Hillcrest, did you say?” the woman demanded, 
while a new interest shone in her eyes. 

“Yes. It’s on the river, about twenty-five miles 
from here. You could go up in the afternoon 
boat, and get there in plenty of time.” 

The woman sat up suddenly in her chair now, 
for an idea had stabbed her mind with a startling 
intensity. Could it be possible, she asked herself, 
that this is he? Those eyes recalled one whose 
memory was very dear, and that erect poise of 
the head, crowned with such golden curls, could 
belong to no one else. And he was from Hillcrest 
as well, the very place. 

i 1 Tell me, ’ 9 she said in a low voice, controlling 
herself as much as possible, “your name, my little 
man.” 


194 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Rod Royal,” was the reply. 

There was no doubt about it now, and involun¬ 
tarily the woman reached out her arms toward 
him. She drew them back, however, and placed 
her hand to her forehead. 

“Are you ill, Miss Royanna?” Mr. Markham 
enquired. “I am afraid that these boys are tiring 
you. They must leave at once. ’ ’ 

“Yes, I do feel tired, and wish to get back to 
the hotel.” 

“And you won’t go to the concert?” Rod ques¬ 
tioned anxiously. “Whyn will be so disap¬ 
pointed.” 

The woman’s eyes were now fixed full upon the 
boy’s face. She saw his lips quiver, and her 
heart went out to him with one mighty rush. How 
she longed to clasp him in her arms, shower kisses 
upon his little tanned face, and tell him all. But, 
no, she must not do it yet. There was a reason 
why she should delay. With an effort, therefore, 
she restrained herself. 

“Will you come with me to the hotel?” she 
asked. “We can talk it over there.” 

“But, Miss Royanna,” the manager warned, 
who saw that she was much drawn toward the 
boys, “you must not make any rash promises. 
You are in great demand, and it will be a bitter 
disappointment to many if you do not sing to¬ 
morrow afternoon.” 


THE WAY OF THE HEART 195 

‘ ‘ Leave that to me, Mr. Markham. I shall not 
disappoint any one, not even these boys.” 

“And so you intend to go to the concert/ , the 
manager remarked, as they were being bowled 
swiftly along in the car to the hotel. 

“Yes. Why should I not? There will be 
plenty of time after the matinee. I can hire a 
car to take me there, and bring me back in the 
evening. I shall enjoy the trip out into the coun¬ 
try, for I am so tired of cities.’’ 

“But what will people think of your going to 
such a place to sing for a few country people?” 

“I don’t care what they think,” and the wo¬ 
man ’s voice was severer than usual. < ‘ I know that 
I shall not be able to meet a number of society 
lights, for which I shall be most thankful.” 

Rod and Phil had never been in a large hotel 
before, and they gazed with wonder upon every¬ 
thing they saw. The elevator, which moved'so 
easily upwards, was a great mystery. Then the 
large carpeted hallway through which they passed, 
where their footsteps could not be heard, and last 
of all the spacious room into which they were 
admitted, caused their eyes to bulge with astonish¬ 
ment. 

When they were comfortably seated in big 
chairs, with the singer sitting close to Rod, so she 
could watch his every movement, the talk naturally 
drifted off to Hillcrest. Rod told about the scouts, 
Wliyn, the Britts, Miss Arabella, and his own life 


196 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


at the rectory. Miss Royanna led him deftly along 
to tell about these various people, especially Mr. 
and Mrs. Royal. Soon she learned much about 
Rod’s daily work, what he was fond of most of 
all, and numerous other things concerning his 
life. 

“Have you lived long with your grand¬ 
parents !” she asked. 

“Ever since I was a baby. I was left there one 
dark, wild night by my mother.” 

“And so you have never seen her!” 

“No. But I have had letters from her, though. 
She’s coming to see me sometime this summer.” 

“How nice that will be. Won’t you be glad to 
see her!” 

“In a way I will,” was the slow, doubtful re¬ 
ply. “But I’m afraid that she’ll want to take 
me away.” 

“Wouldn’t you like to go with your mother! 
She must long for you so much.” 

“But I don’t know her, you see. She’s a 
stranger to me. I know that I ought to love my 
mother, but somehow I can’t.” 

“Oh!” The exclamation came suddenly from 
the woman’s lips. She clasped her hands before 
her, and stared hard into space. So this was the 
outcome of it all! she said to herself. This was 
all that she had gained by her years of struggle 
and self-denial. She had won fame and money, 
but what did they amount to when her only boy 


THE WAY OF THE HEART 197 

was a stranger to her, and knew not what it was 
to love his mother? 

“Yon write to her, I suppose/’ she at last re¬ 
marked. 

‘ ‘ Oh, yes. Every week I get a letter, and I al¬ 
ways answer it. She sends me money, too.” 

“Hoes she? Isn’t that nice. You must have 
plenty of spending money, then.” 

“No,” and Rod shook his head. “Grandad 
puts it all into the bank for me. It is to stay 
there, so he says, until I grow up, and it will 
be enough then to send me to college.” 

“And your grandfather never used any of the 
money your mother sent to pay for your board 
and clothing?” 

“Not a cent of it. He said it wouldn’t be right, 
because he loves me so much.” 

The woman remained silent for some time, and 
Rod thought that her face seemed very sad. Per¬ 
haps she was tired. 

“Guess we’d better go now, Phil,” and he 
turned to his companion who had not opened his 
lips once. 

“What, so soon?” the singer enquired, rous¬ 
ing from her reverie. 

“Yes. Mr. Dexter, he’s Phil’s father, will be 
waiting for us, and he’ll think we are lost.” 

“Just a minute, Rod,” and the woman laid her 
hand lightly on his shoulder, “how would you 


198 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


like to go with me in the car to Hillcrest to¬ 
morrow V 9 

Ro(Ps eyes sparkled for an instant with pleas¬ 
ure. How he had often longed to ride along the 
road in a big car such as he had seen buzzing by. 
Suddenly his face grew grave. 

“I’m afraid I can’t,” he slowly replied. “It 
will be late when you get there, and I must be at 
the concert to take my part. Captain Josh and 
the boys couldn’t get along very well without me. 
I’m patrol leader, you know, and so must be 
there. ’ ’ 

The woman noted the brief struggle between 
pleasure and duty, and the decision pleased her. 
She was disappointed, nevertheless, as she was 
hoping to have his company next day. She con¬ 
cealed her feelings, however, and smiled upon the 
boys as she bade them good night as they stepped 
out of the elevator. Then she turned back to the 
silence and solitude of her own room. 


CHAPTER XIX 


THE SURPBISE 

I T was somewhat late as Rod and Phil hurried 
along the street toward the hotel where they 
and Mr. Dexter were to spend the night. This 
place was near the steamer, and it would not be far 
for them to catch the early boat next morning. It 
was a comfortable house, where countrymen gen¬ 
erally stayed. 

Only a few people did the boys meet as they 
moved on their way. Presently they encountered 
a policeman, who looked at them very closely, and 
enquired where they were going. Rod informed 
him, so with a warning that they should not be out 
so late, the official passed on. This was a new ex¬ 
perience for the boys, and they were now fearful 
lest they should meet other policemen who might 
not be so lenient. 

They had just reached a dark place when they 
heard some one walking with a heavy tread on the 
opposite side of the street. Thinking that it 
might be another policeman, the boys kept close 
together, and glided on as swiftly as possible. 
They did not run lest they should be heard. Their 
199 


200 BOD OF THE LONE PATEOL 


hearts beat fast, and. they glanced nervously from 
side to side. The ways of the city, especially at 
night, were strange and mysterious to them, and 
all kinds of dangers seemed to be lurking around. 
Had they been on a country road they would have 
felt perfectly at ease. But here it was different. 

They had almost gained a part of the street 
where an electric light flooded the pavement, when 
they heard a cry behind them, and then a thud 
as of some one falling. They stopped and looked 
hack, but all was shrouded in darkness. On the 
opposite side of the street they could hear sounds 
of struggling, while an occasional gasping cry 
fell upon their ears. * 

“There’s something wrong,” Eod whispered to 
his companion. 

“W-what d’ye s’pose it is!” was the fright¬ 
ened reply. 

“Somebody is hurt, I guess. Maybe that man 
we heard has been knocked down. It often hap¬ 
pens in cities.” 

“Let’s run,” Phil suggested, now trembling 
violently. 

‘ 4 Eun where ! ’ ’ Rod enquired. 

“To the hotel.” 

“And leave that man to be killed! Scouts don’t 
do that,” and Eod straightened himself up with 
a jerk. 

“But what are we going to do!” 


THE SURPRISE 201 

4 ‘Go after that policeman, see! He can’t be far 
away. Come ! 9 9 

The next instant the boys were bounding along 
the street after the policeman they had met but a 
few minutes before. Fortunately they ran across 
him sooner than they had expected, for hearing 
the sound of hurrying footsteps, the official 
blocked the way, caught the lads by the shoulders, 
and demanded what they were running for. Rod 
pantingly explained, and soon the three were has¬ 
tening back to where the struggle had taken place. 

At first the policeman had been doubtful as to 
the truth of the story, but when he flashed his light 
upon the prostrate form of a man lying in the 
gutter, he gave vent to an exclamation of aston¬ 
ishment. The man was unconscious, and he was 
bleeding from a wound in the head. Rod never 
forgot the look of that face lying there so white 
beneath the light of the lantern. It was the face 
of a man about thirty years of age, with a dark 
moustache, and a slight scar upon the right cheek. 

The policeman felt the man’s pulse, and found 
that he was alive. He then placed a whistle to 
his lips and gave several long shrill blasts. He 
next enquired the names of the two boys, where 
they were from, and what they were doing out 
at that time of the night. To these questions Rod 
answered in such a straightforward manner that 
the policeman was satisfied. 

“You had better get on now,” he ordered. 


202 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“But, remember, we’ll want you in the morning to 
give evidence. Don’t leave the city until you. get 
permission.” 

Though both the boys would like to have stayed 
to see what would be done with the unconscious 
man, they did not dare to disobey the policeman, 
so they hurried off, and at last reached the hotel. 
They found Mr. Dexter anxiously waiting their 
return, and to him they related what had happened 
on the street. 

‘ ‘ This is what comes of your galavanting around 
at such hours of the night,” he growled. “You 
should have been in your beds long ago. And 
so we’ve got to wait, have we? This is a pretty 
state of affairs. I can’t afford to stay here all 
day to-morrow. Get away to bed now. You’ve 
done enough mischief for one night.” 

Rod went to bed, but he found it hard to sleep. 
His thoughts turned not only to the wounded man, 
but to the concert to be held the next day. Sup¬ 
pose he could not get home in time to take his part, 
what would Whyn and Captain Josh think, and 
how could they get along without him? 

Early the next morning a message came sum¬ 
moning Rod and Phil to appear at the court room 
at ten o’clock. Mr. Dexter went with them, which 
was a great relief. Everything was strange to the 
boys, and they were very nervous as they were ex¬ 
amined and cross-questioned. But they both told 
;what they knew in such a manner as to give much 


THE SURPRISE 


203 


satisfaction. At last the Police Magistrate told 
them that they could go home, hut must appear 
before him whenever they were needed. 

The newspapers that morning gave consider¬ 
able space to the assault of the previous night. 
They told of the cowardly attack, and the assist¬ 
ance the two country boys had given, mentioning 
their names, and where they were from. The in¬ 
jured man was unknown, and though careful 
search was made, there was nothing found upon 
his person to identify him. He had no money, and 
it was believed that his pockets had been gone 
through by his assailants. He was taken to the 
hospital where he was lying unconscious, and in 
a serious condition. 

Mr. Dexter bought copies of both morning pa¬ 
pers, which was a great extravagance for him. He 
was quite proud of the part his son had taken 
in the affair, and the notoriety which had come to 
his family. Rod and Phil read every word on their 
trip up the river that afternoon. It was the first 
time they had ever seen their names in print, and 
they felt very important. This was increased 
when they saw people looking at them, and point¬ 
ing them out as the boys who had figured in the 
affair of the night before. 

Parson Dan’s eyes opened wide with astonish¬ 
ment when he opened his paper, which arrived 
just before dinner, and read to his wife the story 
of the assault in the city. 


204 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Well done for the boys!” he exclaimed, as he 
laid the paper aside, and began his meal. “I wish 
they had caught the rascals who did that deed.” 

“The boys might have got badly hurt,” Mrs. 
Royal replied. “I am very thankful that they 
escaped without any harm. What terrible things 
take place in cities. We live such quiet lives here 
that we little realise what is going on elsewhere. ’’ 

“I do hope that the police will get those fel¬ 
lows,” the parson mused. “The paper says that 
there have been several hold-ups lately, and it is 
believed that they have been done by the same ones 
who made the assault last night. I am anxious to 
see Rod to hear what he has to say.” 

“Perhaps the boys will have to stay as wit¬ 
nesses, Daniel.” 

“Sure enough!” and the clergyman put down 
his cup he was about to raise to his lips. “I 
never thought of that. And this is the night of 
the concert, too. What will Captain Josh do with¬ 
out the boys? I must go over and tell him the 
news. It will certainly upset his plans, for he de¬ 
pended so much upon Rod.” 

That same morning Anna Royanna, while at 
breakfast, read the description of herself and her 
singing in the Opera House. This did not greatly 
interest her, for she was beginning to weigh such 
articles at their true value. It was the custom now 
for papers to say pleasant things about her. It 
was the same wherever she went. She recalled the 


THE SUBPRISE 


205 


time, several years before, when the same newspa¬ 
pers had so begrudgingly given her a few lines 
concerning a certain performance of hers. She 
had to plead with the editors then. She was not 
famous, and how a sympathetic article would not 
only have encouraged but assisted her as well. 
Now she was Anna Royanna, the noted singer, and 
a slight smile of contempt hovered about the cor¬ 
ners of her mouth as she began to fold up the 
paper. 

Just then something caught her eye, which 
caused her to pause, and look more closely. “Rod 
Royal” were the words she first saw, but they 
were enough to make her devour eagerly the whole 
story of the adventure of the previous night. She 
studied the two words which had first arrested her 
attention, paying no heed to her breakfast which 
was getting cold. Neither did she notice the num¬ 
ber of eyes turned upon her by various people in 
the room, for all were greatly interested in the 
famous singer, who had made such a remarkable 
hit the night before. There came to her again the 
picture of a sturdy little lad standing before her, 
with tousled auburn hair, pleading on behalf of 
an invalid girl away up in the country. Then her 
mind went back to that terrible night when she 
had carried him to the door of the rectory, and 
left him to the mercy of those within. And now 
she was looking upon his name in the paper. He 
was hers, and yet he did not know her. 


206 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


It seemed to Rod that the steamer would never 
reach Hillcrest wharf. There were so many stops 
to make for passengers to disembark, and freight 
to be unloaded, that the boat was later than usual. 
He was almost certain that the concert would be 
over before they arrived. At last they were there, 
and the steamer’s guard had scarcely touched the 
wharf, as he and Phil leaped ashore. Then they 
scurried down the road, leaving Mr. Dexter far 
behind. They were well aware that they had no 
time to go home for their scout suits, and this 
was a great disappointment. As they came in 
sight of the Anchorage they saw many people mov¬ 
ing about the grounds. Rod waited to speak to 
no one, but hurried at once into Whyn’s room. 
The girl greeted him with a cry of joy. 

‘ ‘ Oh, Rod! ’ ’ she exclaimed; i ‘ I am so glad you 
are back. Captain Josh is in a terrible state of 
worry.” 

She was sitting by the open window where she 
could see all that was going on outside. It was a 
beautiful evening, and the sun of the long summer 
day was still high above the horizon. 

‘ ‘ How is everything going, Whyn ? ’ ’ Rod breath¬ 
lessly enquired, as he wiped his hot face with his 
small handkerchief. 

“Great,” was the reply. “That is, so far. 
And only think, Rod, Miss Arabella has been 
here all day helping Mrs. Britt. She is a wonder. 
She is selling refreshments now.” 


THE SURPRISE 


207 


“Is grandad here?” Rod asked. 

“Yes, and everybody else, I guess. The sum¬ 
mer people have turned out splendidly. There 
are several autos here, and so many strange peo¬ 
ple. I don’t know any of them.” 

As W T hyn mentioned the autos an expression of 
anxiety came into Rod’s eyes. He wondered if 
Miss Royanna had arrived. Perhaps she was 
waiting for him. He must go and find out at 
once. 

Left once more alone, Whyn sat and watched all 
that was going on. Her face was flushed with ex¬ 
citement, and her eyes sparkled with animation. 
But she was disappointed, nevertheless. The 
choir could not come, and so there would be no 
singing. Several of the members were away, so 
Parson Dan had told her, and the others would 
not come without them. The people will think it 
so strange, she said to herself, and the scouts will 
feel badly. Whoever heard of a concert without 
singing and music of some kind. 

Ere long the crowd began to gather about the 
large platform which Captain Josh and the scouts 
had built in front of their club-room. Then it was 
that the performance began. First came a staff- 
drill by all the boys. They did it well, and were 
called upon to repeat it. This was followed by 
signalling. The scouts were lined up, each holding 
two small flags in his hands. The captain in a 
deep voice called out the letters from A to Z, and 


208 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


not one boy made a mistake. He next picked out 
letters at random, and closed by an exhibition of 
sending and receiving a short message. One boy 
stood about fifty yards away, and sent words 
which were received by another at Headquarters. 
This won the hearty approval of the spectators, 
which rejoiced the hearts of the scouts. After 
this came military drill, and here the captain was 
in his element. One would have thought that he 
was on board of the Boaring Bess, giving orders 
to his crew. He paced up and down, shouting out 
in a tremendous voice,‘ ‘ Right—turn! ’ ’ “ Form— 
fours ! 19 11 Quick—march! ’ ’ “ Mark—time!’ ’ and 
so on. It was really excellent the way the boys 
rose to the occasion, showing to all what training 
and discipline could accomplish. 

They had barely finished their marching ere 
Rod darted suddenly away toward the front of 
the Anchorage, and as Whyn followed him with 
her eyes she saw that he was hurrying to meet a 
large auto which had just arrived. Several peo¬ 
ple were in the car, and soon they were accom¬ 
panying Rod to Headquarters, which they entered. 
The watching girl was puzzled over this, and 
wondered who they could be. They must be peo¬ 
ple Rod knew, and was expecting, she reasoned. 
But why did they go into the club-house instead 
of staying outside? 

Presently she saw Rod reappear and go straight 
to Parson Dan, who was sitting near a large willow 


THE SURPRISE 


209 


tree. A short whispered conversation ensued, and 
then the clergyman followed the boy into the build¬ 
ing. It seemed a long time to Whyn before the 
former came out again, and when he did, he at 
once mounted the platform, and motioned the peo¬ 
ple to be quiet. This latter was hardly neces¬ 
sary, as all on the grounds had noticed the arrival 
of the strangers, and were naturally curious about 
them, especially as Rod seemed so excited and de¬ 
lighted. 

“I have a great announcement to make,” the 
clergyman began, “and I myself can hardly be¬ 
lieve it is true. It seems that the scouts have 
sprung a complete surprise upon us of a most 
enjoyable nature, and I am almost overcome by 
their audacity. In order to make this affair an 
unbounded success, they invited the noted singer, 
Miss Anna Royanna, to come here and sing. She 
complied with the request, and is now here.” 

What more the clergyman said Whyn did not 
know. With a half-smothered cry of delight, she 
leaned as far as she could toward the window 
in order to catch the first glimpse of the wonder¬ 
ful woman. Tears came suddenly into her eyes as 
the meaning of what the scouts had done flashed 
into her mind. It was for her sake, she very well 
knew, that they had asked Miss Royanna to come. 
That was the reason why Rod and Phil had gone 
to the city. She understood it all just as plainly 
as if they had told her. And so she was to hear 


210 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Anna Royanna after all! It seemed too good to 
be true. Surely it must be only a beautiful dream. 
But, no, it was real, for there were the people be¬ 
fore her, and the singer, too, now standing upon 
the platform by the clergyman’s side. She heard 
the loud and excited cheers of the people, and saw 
the woman bowing in acknowledgment of the re¬ 
ception. What was that she was saying? That 
she was delighted to come to the entertainment; 
that she was very fond of boys, and when they 
had asked her to come she had not the heart to 
refuse. How soft and pleasing was her voice, so 
Whyn thought. How nice she must be, and she 
longed to speak to her, and to look into her eyes. 
And to think that such a person had come all 
the way to Hillcrest to sing for her benefit!” 

But when Miss Royanna began to sing, Whyn 
forgot everything else. There were various kinds 
of songs, both humorous and pathetic, but all sim¬ 
ple and familiar, which appealed to the hearts of 
the listeners. Last of all she sang 6 1 My Little Lad, 
God Bless Him!” and then went back into the 
building, followed by the clapping and cheering of 
the assembled people. 

Whyn paid little attention to the excitement 
outside. She leaned back in her chair, closed her 
eyes, and listened once again to the sweet singer. 
How distinctly she could hear that voice, and the 
words of the last song. What a treat this would 
be to her for months to come. She must write at 


THE SURPRISE 211 

once to her mother and Douglas and tell them of 
the great joy which had come into her life. 

She was aroused by voices outside the door. 
Opening her eyes, great was her surprise to see 
the famous singer standing before her. Parson 
Dan was there, too, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Mark¬ 
ham, while Rod brought up in the rear as body¬ 
guard. But Whyn had eyes only for one person, 
and her glad look of welcome went at once to Miss 
Royanna’s heart. Stepping quickly forward, she 
stooped and kissed the invalid girl. 

“We do not need any introduction,’’ she said. 
‘‘We are old friends, are we not? Rod has told 
me about you.’ ’ 

For once in her life Whyn found it impossible 
to reply. Her eyes were moist as she lifted them 
to the singer’s face in mute admiration. 

“What a lovely room,” the woman continued, 
noting Whyn’s embarrassment. “And you were 
able to see everything from the window. How 
nice. ’ ’ 

“And I heard you sing, too,” Whyn replied. 
“Oh, it was great, and so good of you to come. I 
can never thank you enough.” 

“Don’t try,” and the woman smiled. “The en¬ 
joyment has been all on my side. It is the best 
time I have had in years.” 

For about half an hour Miss Royanna stayed, 
but it seemed only a few minutes to the invalid 
girl. The rest went out and left them alone. It 


212 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


appeared to Whyn as if heaven had suddenly 
opened, and an angel in the form of this singer 
had come down. She felt perfectly at ease now, 
and talked freely, telling about herself and her 
mother. It was only natural, however, that Rod 
should form the principal object of conversation. 
In fact, Miss Roy anna led the girl on to talk about 
him, and the mother’s heart was made happy as 
Whyn told how kind Rod was to her, and what a 
fine boy he really was. 

‘ 4 Will you write to me, dear?” the singer asked, 
as she bade the girl good-bye. 

“Oh, may I?” and Whyn’s face glowed with 
pleasure. “But you will not care to hear about 
our uninteresting affairs in Hillcrest.” 

“Indeed I shall. Tell me everything, and espe¬ 
cially about Rod. You see, I know him better 
than the rest.” 

“Will you come to see me again?” Whyn en¬ 
quired. 

“Yes, just as soon as I can. I want to spend 
several weeks here in this lovely place. Then I 
shall be right near you, and find out all about 
the scouts . 9 9 

“Oh, how nice!” and Whyn clasped her hands 
together. “I shall look forward to your coming. 
It will be something more to live for now.” 

All the people on the grounds crowded around 
the car as the singer stepped on board. Rod was 
standing right by the door, watching her face 


THE SURPRISE 


213 


with great interest. How she longed to stoop, 
fold him in her arms, kiss him, and proclaim that 
he was her own boy. But, no, not now. She must 
wait. Waving her hand to the crowd, she was 
borne swiftly away, leaving the people wdth a great 
and new topic of conversation, which would last 
them for many a day. 


CHAPTER XX 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 

N EXT morning the scouts met at the Anchor¬ 
age to find out how much money they had 
made. Great was their delight to learn that they 
had taken in fifty dollars and seventy cents. It 
seemed too good to he true, and the only way 
they could account for the large sum was the 
money contributed by several men who had come 
in autos. They had paid a dollar apiece for 
their tickets, and had spent money liberally upon 
ice-cream, cake, and candy. No refreshments were 
left over, and but for the timely assistance of 
Miss Arabella there would not have been enough. 

It was in Whyn’s room where this meeting took 
place. Captain Josh said very little at first, for 
he was satisfied to let the rest do the talking. He 
was happy at the way the affair had turned out, 
and he wished to do something to celebrate the 
occasion. 

“Boys,” he at last began, after they had thor¬ 
oughly discussed the entertainment and the singer, 
“we’ve had a great success, more than we ever 
expected. I feel now like doin’ something desper- 

214 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 215 

ate jist to relieve my feeling. Suppose we make a 
trip to the island, and camp there all night. We’ve 
been talkin’ about this fer some time, and as I 
have to go over to look after some nets I left 
there, it might as well be now as at any time. 
You boys have never spent a night in the open, 
and it’ll do yez good to learn how to camp and 
cook. All scouts must know something about sich 
things.” 

“Shall we go to-day?” Rod eagerly enquired. 
The big island had always been a fascinating place 
to him, and he longed to go there. He had heard 
many stories about it, and how much treasure had 
been buried there long ago by Captain Kidd. 

‘‘Yes, this afternoon,” the captain replied. 
‘ ‘We’ll go in the Roarin’ Bess , and tow the tender 
to take us ashore. You boys had better hustle 
away home now, and find out if yer parents will 
let yez go. Ye must bring along a blanket or two 
each, and enough grub to last yez fer supper and 
breakfast. I ’ll look out fer the tea, milk, and the 
cookin’ utensils. The ones who are goin’ must be 
here by three o’clock sharp.” 

Rod hurried home and found Parson Dan read¬ 
ing the morning paper which had just arrived. 

“Look here, Rodney,” and the clergyman 
pointed to the headlines of an article a column 
long. “See what the newspaper says about Miss 
Roy anna, and how she came all the way to Hill- 
crest to sing for the scouts.” 


216 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


ii What, is it all there, grandad?” and the boy 
eagerly scanned the page. 4 ‘Read it, please,” and 
he perched himself upon a chair nearby. 

To him it was wonderful that the paper should 
make so much of what the singer had done. It 
told about the scouts, their entertainment, and 
how two of the boys had gone all the way to the 
city to ask Miss Royanna to go to Ilillcrest. 

“Isn’t it great!” and Rod gave a deep sigh 
when the clergyman had finished. “How I wish 
Miss Royanna could live here all the time.” 

“She took a great fancy to you, Rodney,” and 
the parson smiled upon the boy. 

“I like her,” was the brief comment. 

During dinner Rod asked permission to go to 
the island with Captain Josh and the rest of the 
scouts. After some discussion he was told that 
he could go, and when the meal was over Mrs. 
Royal began to prepare some food for him to 
take with him. 

“It will do the boy good,” the parson told 
her. “The captain is most trustworthy, and 
camping out in the open for one night will do the 
boy no harm.” 

Parson Dan had thought much about Anna Roy- 
anna’s visit to Hillcrest. He and Mrs. Royal had 
talked long and earnestly about the whole affair 
the night before. They tried to discover some 
reason why she should come all the way from the 
city to sing for a few country people, when she 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 


217 


was in such great demand elsewhere. That it 
was for Whyn’s sake did not altogether satisfy 
them. They recalled the special interest she had 
taken in Rod, and they felt proud that their boy 
should have received so much attention from such 
a woman. 

While driving along the road that afternoon, a 
new idea suddenly flashed into the parson’s mind. 
“Can it be possiblef ” he asked himself. So fool¬ 
ish did the notion seem that he tried to banish it 
from his thoughts. But this he found to he most 
difficult. Why should she come all the way to 
Hillcrest? And what about her great interest in 
Rod, and that closing piece which she had sung in 
such a pathetic manner? Stranger things had 
happened before, he mused. But they generally 
occurred in stories, and not in real life. Anyway, 
it was interesting, though he decided to keep the 
idea to himself for awhile, to see if anything else 
would take place. 

Captain Josh and the hoys had a great time 
that afternoon. The island was about one hun¬ 
dred acres in size, and for the most part wooded. 
They tramped all over it, and their excitement was 
intense when they saw the holes which had been 
dug there by gold-seekers. The hoys longed for 
picks and shovels, that they, too, might dig. But 
the captain laughed at them. 

“There’s no gold here, lads,” he told them, 
“and ye’d be only fooled like others.” 


218 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“But did anybody ever find gold here, cap¬ 
tain ?” Rod enquired. 

“Not that I know of. But there have been some 
good jokes played upon people here, though,” and 
the captain chuckled as some funny incident came 
into his mind. 

After supper was over that night, the scouts 
gathered around the bright camp-fire, and asked 
Captain Josh to tell them a story about gold¬ 
seeking on the island. The boys were stretched 
upon the ground, watching the fiery-tongued 
flames and the countless sparks as they soared up 
into the darkness. This was a new experience for 
them, and they were delighted. 

“What kind of a story d’yez want?” the cap¬ 
tain asked. 

“A funny one,” was the reply from all. 

“A funny one, eh?” and the old man scratched 
his head. 

“Yes, the one which made you chuckle this 
afternoon,” Rod suggested. 

“Oh, that one, ha, ha! Sure I know all about 
it, fer I was there myself. I was younger then 
than I am now, and fond of an occasional joke. 
I heard that two men were goin* to hunt fer gold 
right over there by the shore near that big rock 
I showed yez to-day. They had been stuffed 
about buried gold, and so they were goin’ to hunt 
fer it. I saw Jim Gibson, and asked him to join 
me in a little fun. We came over ahead, got things 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 


219 


fixed up, and then waited jist behind that rock. It 
was dark as pitch when the men came, and from 
where we were hidden we could see them with 
their lanterns diggin’ fer all they were worth right 
near that rock. We let them work away fer a 
spell, as we didn’t want to spoil their fun too 
soon. But at last we began to groan and make 
queer noises. Say, ye should have seen them men. 
They were almost scared out of their boots, fer 
they thought sure that ghosts were around. Then, 
when they were shakin’ all over, I pulled a string, 
and off came a black cloth we had put over a word 
which we had printed on the face of that rock.” 

“What was the word?” Rod eagerly enquired, 
as the captain paused for an instant. 

“It was the word ‘Death,’ in big letters. I 
tell yez it must have glared out pretty ghastly 
in the night, fer the way them men yelled, and 
made fer their boat was something wonderful. 
Ho, ho! I kin never think of them fellers, and the 
scare they got, without havin’ a good laugh.” 

“Did they ever find out who did the trick?” 
Phil asked. 

“Not that I know of. But, somehow, word 
got around, and the lives of them men were made 
miserable by the questions they were asked about 
the gold on the island, and when they intended to 
go over and dig fer it.” 

For some time the captain told other stories to 
the boys. Most of these were about his experi- 


220 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


ences at sea, the gales he had encountered, and his 
numerous narrow escapes from death. It was a 
novel experience for the scouts to be lying there 
listening to these yarns, with the stars twinkling 
overhead. At last, however, their eyes became 
heavy and, wrapped in their blankets, they were 
soon sound asleep upon the hard ground. The 
captain sat for awhile before the dying embers, 
smoking his clay pipe. At length, knocking the 
ashes out of the bowl, he, too, stretched himself 
out full length near the scouts. 

Rod was the last of the boys to go to sleep. 
His mind was busy with the joke the captain had 
told, and his experiences at sea. He thought, too, 
of the sweet singer, and wondered if he should 
ever see her again. When he did go to sleep he 
had a dream of a great crowd of men landing 
on the island, attacking the scouts, and carrying 
off a large chest of gold. 

From this dream he woke with a start, and sat 
up. For a moment he was dazed, and could not 
imagine where he was. Then he remembered, and 
he was about to lie down again when the sound 
of a motor-boat fell upon his ears. He listened 
intently, wondering what people could be doing 
on the water at that time of the night. He could 
hear the regular breathing of his companions, and 
as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he 
could make out the form of the captain lying not 
far off. 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 


221 


The sound of the boat was more distinct now, 
and it appeared to be approaching the island. 
Was his dream really coming true? Rising, he 
groped his way to the captain’s side, and touched 
his arm. Light though it was, the captain sud¬ 
denly woke, and asked who was there. In a few 
whispered words Rod told him what he had heard. 
At this, the captain sat up, and listened. 

“Sure enough,” he remarked. “Somebody’s 
astir at a queer hour. Guess we might as well 
look into this. Come on, let’s go and find out. 
But we must be very careful, and not talk out 
loud.” 

Together they made their way cautiously along 
the shore, keeping as close as possible to the 
edge of the forest. They had not gone far, how¬ 
ever, before the motor-boat drew into the island 
on their right. Then the engine slowed down and 
at last stopped, showing that those on board 
were about to land. 

“Quick, let’s get behind this rock,” Captain 
Josh whispered. “They must not know that any¬ 
body is here.” 

Thus safely concealed, the two watchers waited 
and listened to find out what would take place. 
They soon heard the boat grate upon the gravel, 
then a lantern flashed, and two men were seen 
walking up the beach. 

“We might as well stay here,” one of them said. 
“I’m dead beat. Let’s build a fire and get warm.’’ 


222 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


‘ ‘ Where’s the stuff ? ’ ’ the other asked. ‘‘ That ’ll 
warm ye better’n anything else. We can’t afford 
to light a fire. It will he seen from the main¬ 
land, and we can’t tell who might be prowlin’ 
around. ’ ’ 

With an oath, the first speaker brought forth 
a bottle, and took a long deep drink, and then 
handed it to his companion. After this, they both 
went to the boat, got several blankets, carried 
them a short distance from the water, and spread 
them out upon the sand. 

“My, this is a better place than we spent last 
night,” one of the men remarked. 

“Should say so,” replied the other. “But 
didn’t we give the cops a slip, though? I thought 
fer sure they had us one time, when they were 
pokin’ around that old ware-house. Lucky fer us 
we were able to swipe that boat. Suppose we 
divvy up now. You’ve got all the swag.” 

With the lantern between them, the two men 
bent their heads, while one of them brought forth 
a pocket-book, and began to count out a number of 
bills. His voice was so low that the concealed 
watchers could not hear the amount. 

“There, that’s better,” the other at length 
ejaculated, thrusting the money into his pocket. 
“Didn’t we do that chap up fine? He put up quite 
a fight, though. But we landed him and his wad 
all right. I’d like to have got a rap at them kids 
at the same time. They nearly queered our job. 


THE ISLAND ADVENTURE 223 

Now fer another drink, and then fer a good sleep. 
We must be out of this before daylight.” 

For a few moments there was silence, as 
each man took his turn at the bottle. When they 
again spoke their voices were thick, which plainly 
told that the whiskey was having its effect. It 
was impossible to understand what they were 
saying. For awhile they conversed in a maudlin, 
complaining manner, and then knocked over their 
lantern, which went out. 

Waiting for awhile, to be sure that the men 
were asleep, Captain Josh and Rod slipped quietly 
away, and went back to their companions. It was 
with considerable difficulty that the boys were 
aroused and ordered not to make the least noise. 
Captain Josh explained what had taken place, 
and the conversation of the two men. 

“I believe they are the very ones who knocked 
that man down in the city, and stole his money/’ 
he said in a low voice. “Now, they must not 
leave this island until the police take them away, 
and it’s up to us to keep them here.” 

‘ 4 But what are we to do V ’ Phil Dexter enquired, 
his teeth chattering with fear. 

“Leave that to me, lads,” was the reply. 
“All I want yez to do is to get on board the 
Roarin' Bess as quickly as possible. There 
mustn’t be any talkin’ or noise if we’re goin’ to 
carry this thing through, see?” 


CHAPTER XXI 


THE BOUNDING UP 

Q UIETLY and as speedily as possible the 
scouts boarded the tender, and soon reached 
the Roaring Bess . They shivered as they stood 
upon the yacht, and longed to be home in their 
own warm beds. A heavy fog was drifting up the 
river, which made the air very chilly. To most 
of the boys this meant greater discomfort, but to 
the captain it brought considerable satisfaction. 
It was just what he needed to aid him in his under¬ 
taking. In a few low words he outlined his plan 
to the scouts, and told those who remained behind 
to be perfectly still. There were several blankets 
he had stored away in a locker, which they could 
use to make them comfortable. 

Taking with him only Rod and Phil, as they 
were the oldest boys, the captain entered the 
tender, seized the oars, and began to pull away 
straight for the motor-boat. The fact that this 
latter had been run ashore made him certain that 
it was a small boat, and could, therefore, be 
easily drawn off the beach. The tide had risen 
224 


THE ROUNDING UP 


225 


somewhat since the robbers had landed, which 
would make the task much easier. 

The fog was now thicker than ever, which made 
it necessary to advance very cautiously. Rod 
crouched in the bow, with his eyes fixed intently 
ahead. For a time he could see nothing, as every¬ 
thing was blotted out by the fog. The heavy 
moisture dampened his clothes, and drifted into 
his face. Phil was seated astern, shivering with 
cold and fear. He had no liking for this adven¬ 
ture, and would rather be back on the yacht. 

Presently Rod caught sight of the motor-boat, 
and whispered to the captain to go slow. Soon 
they were near the shore, and as they drew up 
close to the strange craft they found that she was 
floating on the rising tide, and was almost adrift. 
With difficulty the captain suppressed a chuckle 
of satisfaction, as he quickly made a rope fast 
to the motor-boat, gave it to Rod, seized once more 
his oars, and swung the tender about, and drew 
away from the shore. * When at a safe distance 
from land he fastened the rope to the bow of the 
motor-boat, tied it to the seat of the tender, and 
then with a sigh of relief settled down to long 
steady strokes. Not a word was spoken now, but 
the three night adventurers thrilled with excite¬ 
ment. The boys felt no longer cold, as they were 
so excited over what they had accomplished. 

After some hard pulling, the captain drew up 


226 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


alongside of the yacht. The rest of the scouts 
were eagerly awaiting his return. 

“There’s no wind,” the captain remarked, “so 
that thing’s got to tow us out of this. I guess I 
know enough about an engine to handle that one 
all right. Rod, you steer the yacht, while I man¬ 
age that old tub.” 

Though the fog was still thick, the light of 
early morn was making itself felt which was of 
much assistance as the captain scrambled on board 
the motor-boat. It took him but a few moments 
to examine the engine, start it, and head the boat 
out into the middle of the river, with the Roaring 
Bess and tender trailing behind. When everything 
was going to his complete satisfaction, he leaned 
back and fairly shook with suppressed laughter. 
He knew now that he had those rascals prisoners 
for a few hours at least, and in that time much 
could be done. 

The engine was of six horse-power, and the 
craft an ordinary rafting-boat, built especially 
for towing. It accordingly made good progress 
up the river, and in about an hour’s time the cap¬ 
tain was able to pull up at Hillcrest wharf. He 
came here instead of going to his own shore on 
purpose to send a telephone message to the city. 
He had thought all this out, and knew that there 
was no time to be lost. 

Near the wharf lived the storekeeper, who 
had charge of the telephone, and with some diffi- 


THE ROUNDING UP 


227 


culty he was awakened by heavy thumps upon 
the door of his house. He was astonished to 
see Captain Josh standing outside, and it was 
several minutes before he realised what was 
wanted. 

*‘Want to telephone, eh?” he at last queried. 

“ Sure. Haven’t I been tryin’ to tell ye that fer 
the last five minutes?” 

“Very important?” 

“Should say so. D’ye s’pose I’d be prowlin’ 
around at this time of the mornin’ if it wasn’t?” 

It took the storekeeper some time to get Central 
in the city, and to become connected with the 
Police Station. Then the captain stepped to the 
’phone and gave his message. “They’re on the 
island now,” he said in conclusion, “and I’ll 
keep a good watch out. Ye’d better send some 
men up at once. 

“They’re a stupid lot of blockheads down 
there,” he growled, as he hung up the receiver. 
“They didn’t know where Kidd’s Island is—jist 
think of that. And they wanted to know how long 
it would take a motor-boat to reach the place.” 

“I guess they’ll get a hustle on, though,” the 
storekeeper replied. “I see there’s a reward of 
one hundred dollars offered for the capture of 
those robbers.” 

“There is!” the captain exclaimed. “How did 
ye hear that?” 


228 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Why, it was in yesterday morning’s paper. 
Here it is; yon can read it for yourself.” 

“Well, I declare!” and the captain scratched 
his head. “I didn’t see that. H’m, ‘for the cap¬ 
ture of the men who assaulted and robbed an 
unknown man at Sheer’s Alley,’ ” he read. 
“Guess we’ll come in fer that money, or I’m much 
mistaken. ’ ’ 

“But you haven’t captured them yet,” the store¬ 
keeper reminded him. 

“We’ve got them over there, though,” the cap¬ 
tain retorted. 

“But they’re not captured yet, remember. You 
haven’t got your hands on them. I don’t believe 
you can claim that money unless you give those 
chaps up to the police.” 

The captain went back to the boat in a very 
thoughtful mood. The offer of the reward placed 
the whole affair in a new light now. One hundred 
dollars! It was just what the scouts needed to 
help them, and it would be money well earned, at 
that. What a pity to let others win the reward 
after what he and the boys had done. 

All the scouts except Rod had gone home, and 
this was for the best. The captain did not want 
too many around lest they should spoil the plan 
he had in his mind. Making the Roaring Bess 
fast to the wharf, he and Rod boarded the motor- 
boat and started for home. It took them only a 


THE ROUNDING UP 


229 


few minutes to reach the shore, and they surprised 
Mrs. Britt as she was lighting the kitchen fire. 

“Stay and have breakfast with us, Rodney,’’ 
was her friendly invitation, after the captain had 
briefly related their experience on the island. 
“You must be hungry after such an adventure.” 

Rod was only too willing to remain, and during 
the meal they discussed all that had taken place 
during the night. 

“We must take those rascals ourselves,” the 
captain remarked. “It would never do to allow 
the police to come here and land them after we 
have done the rounding up.” 

‘ 1 But how will we do it ? ” Rod enquired. i ‘ May¬ 
be they carry revolvers. Won’t they shoot us 
down if we go near them?” 

“Leave that to me, lad,” and the captain 
smiled as his eyes roved to a rifle standing in a 
corner of the room. “But come, we haven’t any 
time to lose. I imagine the police are on their 
way now. It will take them from one and a half 
to two hours to run up from the city. It all 
depends upon what kind of a boat they’ve got. I 
expect it will be a fast one, though, fer they can’t 
afford to dilly-dally.” 

With nothing to tow now, it did not take them 
long to reach the island. They landed near where 
the scouts had camped during the night, and pull¬ 
ing the boat well up on the shore, they made their 
way to the place where they had left the robbers. 


230 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


The captain went ahead, while Rod followed close 
at his heels. The boy’s heart was beating fast 
now, for he knew that a great adventure was soon 
to take place. He felt proud that the captain had 
chosen him for this important undertaking, and 
he was determined not to show the least sign of 
fear no matter what happened. 

As they approached the place they advanced 
most cautiously, bending low, and stepping softly 
so as not to make the slightest noise. Reaching 
the big rock, they crouched behind it for a few 
seconds, and listened. Hearing nothing, the cap¬ 
tain peered carefully over the edge. Drawing 
quickly back, he motioned to Rod not to make 
the least sound. 

“They’re jist wakin’ up,” he whispered, “and 
there’s bound to be trouble when they find their 
boat gone.” 

This was exactly what happened. Soon the 
voices of the men were heard in an excited con¬ 
versation. The captain again looked upon them 
from his concealed position and saw them strain¬ 
ing their eyes in an effort to locate their boat. 

“She’s gone adrift,” one of them exclaimed. 
“Why didn’t ye tie her!” and he turned angrily 
upon his companion. 

“It was as much your business as mine,” was 
the retort. “Ye always blame me fer everything. 
But it’s no use wranglin’ over it now. We’ve 
overslept ourselves, and a pretty mess we’re in. 


THE ROUNDING UP 231 

If we don’t get that boat we’re stuck on this 
island.” 

‘‘Maybe she’s drifted along the shore some¬ 
where,” the other suggested. “There’s been no 
wind, so she can’t he far away.” 

“There’s a tide, though, which is just as bad. 
This is a mess, sure.” 

“Well, talkin’ won’t do any good,” his com¬ 
panion replied. “I’m goin’ to hunt along the 
shore.” 

He had taken but a step when a deep voice from 
above startled him, causing him to pause and 
look quickly up. As he did so, his face underwent 
a marvellous change of fear and rage, for there 
was the captain, looking calmly along the barrel 
of his rifle. 

“Stay jist where ye are,” was the imperative 
order. “If one of yez move, I’ll shoot quicker’n 
blazes. Yer boat’s all right, so don’t worry about 
her.” 

A strearb. of angry oaths now leaped from the 
robbers’ lips, as they realised the helplessness of 
their position. They did not dare to move, as 
they were too close to the frowning muzzle of the 
over-shadowing rifle. 

“It’s no use to talk that way,” the captain 
warned, “so jist shet yer dirty mouths. I’ve 
heard sich gab before, and it doesn’t jar me in the 
least.” 

“Who are you, anyway?” one of the men de- 


232 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


manded, “and how dare ye hold us up? Ye’ll pay 
dear fer this.” 

“Is that so? It doesn’t matter who I am; yo’ll 
find that out soon enough.” 

“What d’ye mean?” was the reply. 

“Never mind. I’m not here to argue with the 
like of you. There’ll be others who kin do that 
better. All that I want yez to do now is to behave 
yerselves, and do as I order. ’ ’ 

“Well, what d’ye want us to do? Spit it out, 
and don’t be long about it either.” 

“Don’t git on yer high-horse,” the captain 
warned. “I’m not used to be talked to in that 
manner. I never allowed it when I was aboard 
the Flyin’ Queen, and I guess I’m too old to 
change now. What I want yez to do is to strip 
off yer duds, that is, yer pants and jackets.” 

“Do what?” 

“Didn’t ye hear me? Git out of yer duds, but 
keep yer faces this way. Don’t lower yer eyes, 
or I’ll shoot.” 

At this strange order the foiled men stared in 
amazement, and for once their tongues were 
silent. 

“D’ye hear me?” the captain roared. “Strip 
at once, or I’ll blow yer measly carcasses to 
pieces. Never mind the reason; I’ll keep that to 
myself. ’ ’ 

Seeing that their captor was not to be fooled 
with any longer, the prisoners did as they were 


THE ROUNDING UP 


233 


commanded, and soon they were standing in noth¬ 
ing but their underclothes. They suspected now 
the purpose of this move, and their hearts filled 
with rage. 

‘ ‘ There, that’s better/’ the captain com¬ 
mented. “Pm glad to see that ye’re so obedient. 
It has saved yez from a great deal of trouble at 
present. But before we go on with our interestin’ 
proceedin’s, I want yez to go down there by the 
water. Git along with yez,” he continued, as the 
men hesitated. “Don’t worry about yer clothes; 
they’ll be all right. My, yez do look fine. Too 
bad there isn’t a picnic of some kind here this 
morain’. But, then, I guess that’ll come later.” 

When the men had obeyed his orders, and were 
standing close to the edge of the water, the cap¬ 
tain moved about the edge of the rock, closely 
/ followed by Rod. He kept his eyes fixed upon the 
robbers, and then ordered the boy to gather up 
the clothes and carry them up among the trees. 
Seeing what was being done, the cornered men 
once more gave vent to their feelings. 

“Talk all yez like now,” the captain remarked, 
as he sat down upon a drift-log. “It’d be a pity 
to spoil yer enjoyment, seein’ that soon ye won’t 
be able to talk so free.” 

By this time Rod had placed the clothes in a 
safe place and, coming back, sat down by the 
captain’s side. 


234 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Did ye bring the guns with ye?” the latter 
asked. 

“Yes, here they are,” and Rod held up two 
revolvers. “I found them in the pockets, and 
thought it best to bring them with me.” 

“Ye did right, lad,” and the captain took one 
in his hand. “Fine weapon, that, and loaded up 
to the muzzle. Wouldn’t yez like to have it, eh?” 
and he held it out to the captives. “Too bad, 
isn’t it, that I’ve got to keep it? But this toy 
isn’t safe fer every one to handle, so I’ll look after 
both myself.” 

By this time the fog had begun to lift from the 
face of the water, and in the distance the outline 
of the shore of the mainland could be faintly dis¬ 
cerned. Then houses and hills came into view. 
The sun had already started forth on its daily 
course, and was now swinging over the tops of 
the pointed pines which lined the upper end of 
the island. The fog gradually disappeared, fading 
away in soft filmy wreaths. Not a breath of 
wind stirred the surface of the water. The cap¬ 
tain often turned his eyes down stream for some 
sign of the boat from the city. Why were the 
police so long in coming? he asked himself. He 
had expected them at the island in two hours at 
the most, and still they were nowhere in sight. 
He was getting very impatient sitting there, keep¬ 
ing the captives under such strict guard. He de¬ 
termined to have something to say later about the 


THE BOUNDING UP 


235 


slowness of the police. He would write an article 
for the paper, that was what he would do. If that 
was the way they always acted, was it any wonder 
that crimes were so frequent! 

Another hour passed, and when the captain’s 
patience was strained to the utmost, a large motor- 
boat suddenly rounded the lower end of the island, 
and slowed up right in front of where the cap¬ 
ture had taken place. A number of men were 
on hoard, who looked curiously upon the strange 
scene before them. 

An officer, with several of his men, came ashore, 
when the two robbers were at once hand-cuffed, 
and hustled on board the boat. Rod now brought 
down their clothes, which were thoroughly 
searched, and everything taken from the pockets. 

“It took yez a mighty long time to come from 
the city,” Captain Josh at length blurted out. 

“It was the fog which delayed us,” the offi¬ 
cer explained. “We couldn’t see a foot ahead 
of us.” 

“H’m, so that was the trouble,” and the captain 
gave a grunt of disgust. “Why didn’t ye bring 
some one along who knows the river? I’ve been 
holdin’ them chaps down fer three solid hours. I 
guess the lad here and me have earned our money 
this time all right.” 

“What money?” the officer sharply asked. 

“The reward, of course; the hundred dollars 
offered fer the capture of them chaps.” 


236 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Oh, we’ll look after that,” was the nettled 
reply. 

“Ye will, will ye! I guess ye’ll git up earlier 
than ye did this mornin’ if ye do. I’ll stand by 
my scouts, and don’t let me catch ye tryin’ any 
tricks on me. There, ye’d better git off now, fer 
I want to go home. Take good care that them 
chaps don’t git away. Come, Rod, let’s be off.” 


CHAPTER XXII 


A NEW ADVENTURE 

T HERE was considerable excitement in Hill- 
crest over the capture of the two robbers. 
Never before had such a thing happened in their 
quiet community, and it formed a choice subject 
of conversation for many weeks. The city papers 
made much of it, and commended Captain Josh 
and the scouts upon what they had done. One 
morning paper which was very favourable to the 
Scout movement, had a special editorial on the 
subject, under the heading of “The Lone Patrol.” 
It pointed out how much good a few boys in out¬ 
lying districts could accomplish when properly 
organised and trained. It told also of the visit of 
Anna Royanna to this patrol, and how she had 
sung at their entertainment. 

All this was very pleasant reading to the peo¬ 
ple of Hillcrest, and the ones who had looked 
with disfavour upon the movement were now 
anxious to assist. A number of parents who had 
formerly refused to allow their boys to join came 
to the captain, and asked him to undertake the 
training of their sons. 


237 


238 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Not jist now / 7 the captain told them. “I 
have all that I kin handle at present. I must git 
the ones I have licked into shape before tryin’ my 
hand upon any more .’ 7 

These requests were most gratifying to Captain 
Josh, and he smiled grimly at the thought of the 
change which had come over the people. It was 
sweet revenge, as well, to be able to refuse the 
very ones who had talked most against the scouts 
when they were first organised. But this had noth¬ 
ing to do with his not taking the boys, for the cap¬ 
tain was too big a man for that. He really de¬ 
sired first of all to train the few scouts he had 
to the best of his ability. It was not quantity 
he wanted, but quality, and he was determined 
that his one patrol should be looked upon with 
pride by all in Hillcrest, and to belong to it would 
be considered a great honour by any boy. 

Parson Dan and Mrs. Royal were much pleased 
at the part Rod had taken in the capture of the 
robbers. They talked it all over with the captain 
when he came over to see them the very next day. 

“The boys did fine,” the old man proudly re¬ 
marked. “They know how to hold their tongues 
and obey orders, which is more than many older 
people kin do . 9 9 

Rod fairly walked on air, and held his head 
very high. The thrill of adventure now filled his 
soul, and he longed for something more to happen. 
It was a long quaint letter he wrote to Anna 


A NEW ADVENTURE 


239 


Royanna in reply to the one she had sent him. 
He told all about the adventure on the island, the 
capture of the robbers, and how he and Phil had 
gone to the city with the captain as witnesses. 
He mentioned, also, that they had received the 
one hundred dollars ’ reward, and had put it in the 
hank with the rest of the scout money. It seemed 
so easy and natural for him to write to this 
woman. He was sure that she was interested in 
everything that went on at Hillcrest. ‘ 4 1 hope you 
will come to see us again,” he wrote in conclusion. 
“ Whyn speaks about you every day, and so do all 
the rest of the scouts.” Mrs. Royal smiled at 
these words when Rod showed her the letter he 
had written. It was true in a way that Whyn was 
really a scout, in fact, a very vital part of the 
patrol. 

The letter which Rod wrote to his mother was 
very different from that to the singer. It was 
brief, and not bubbling over with information 
as was the other. He found it hard to tell her 
about the things which interested him, and he did 
not ask her to come soon. He was too much 
afraid that she would arrive and take him away. 

A woman far away smiled sadly as she read 
these two letters, with different addresses on the 
envelopes. She could see at a glance the boy’s 
interest in the singer, and what a pleasure it was 
for him to write that letter. But the other, to 
his mother, was a task, a mere duty, the sooner 


240 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


done, the better. But then, she knew that it was 
only natural, and she longed for the time to come 
when letters would not be needed, and Rod would 
know the truth. 

No one in the whole parish of Hillcrest was 
more interested in what had taken place than 
Whyn. She was never tired of talking about the 
capture, and the winning the reward. It was a 
great letter which she wrote to Douglas, telling 
him all that had recently happened in the little 
Hillcrest world. "Whenever the scouts gathered 
in her room, she discussed plans with them, and 
listened to their various experiences. These lat¬ 
ter were now confined to drill, studying for the 
new badges, and sailing with the captain on the 
river. 

By this time the scouts had one hundred and 
fifty dollars in the bank, which to them seemed a 
great sum. Several were quite satisfied with the 
amount. But Whyn was of a different opinion. 
“We must make it two hundred, at least,’’ she 
told them. “It is time to get to work and raise 
that other fifty, for it will not do to stop when we 
have made such a good start. ’ ’ 

Summer passed, and fall came in with the long 
evenings, and still the scouts had not hit upon any 
plan of increasing their bank account. They had 
all kinds of suggestions, but after they had been 
thoroughly discussed, they were found to be of 


A NEW ADVENTURE 


241 


little value. Some were too foolish, while others 
were beyond their power. 

It was Whyn who at last solved the problem. 
In reality, it was her mother who made the sug¬ 
gestion to her during her recent visit. The in¬ 
valid was delighted, and could hardly wait for the 
scouts to come to see her. 

“I know what you can do,” she told them, when 
they had settled themselves about the room in 
their usual manner. “You can make wreaths 
for the churches in the city. They will need them 
for Christmas decorations.” 

“Make wreaths!” was the surprised exclama¬ 
tion of all. 

“Yes. Don’t you understand? You have them 
in the church here every Christmas, don’t you?” 

‘ i Certainly,’’ Rod replied. “We make them out 
of hemlock, and club-moss. But I didn’t know 
you could sell them.” 

“You can in the city,” Whyn explained, “for 
mamma told me so. They will bring from four 
to five cents a yard. Wouldn’t it be great for us 
to make up a whole lot, say five hundred yards? 
Let me see, that would be twenty or twenty-five 
dollars. Just think of that!” and the girl’s eyes 
danced with excitement. 

Then followed an animated discussion as to the 
kind of wreaths they should make, and the best 
time to do the work. All this was settled by the 
entrance of Captain Josh. He entered heartily 


242 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


into the plan, much pleased at the interest of the 
scouts in raising more money. 

“Guess we’d better begin upon the club-moss 
first,” was his decision. “The snow’ll be here 
soon, so while the ground is bare we kin gather 
as much as we’ll need. We kin git the hemlock 
any old time. We kin work at nights, and on 
Saturday afternoons, and Betsey’ll be glad to 
give a hand. I’m afraid I don’t know much about 
sich things. If there is any splicin’ to do, or spe¬ 
cial knots to tie, jist call on me. If it had anything 
to do with sailin’ vessels I could help considerable. 
But riggin’ up churches is not in my line. How- 
somever, I’ll help all I kin.” 

The very next Saturday Captain Josh led his 
scouts into the woods to gather their first supply 
of club-moss. He carried his rifle with him. 
There was a black fox in the neighbourhood, which 
had been seen by several, and the captain longed 
to get sight on it “jist fer one little instant,” as 
he had remarked. 

Phil had his small dog with him, which annoyed 
the captain. 

“I wish ye’d left that critter home,” he 
growled. “It’ll scare away everything fer miles 
around. What’s the use of bringin’ my gun when 
that thing’s along?” 

“Gyp wouldn’t stay,” Phil explained. “I tied 
him up, but he chewed through the rope.” 

“H’m,” the captain grunted, “I guess he’d 


A NEW ADVENTURE 


243 


eat through a chain by the looks of him. He’s 
about the toughest brute I ever set my eyes on. 
Does he ever eat peoplef” 

A hearty laugh from the hoys was the only 
reply to the captain’s sarcastic remark. They 
were in great spirits, and the tramp through the 
woods filled them with joy. It was merely a win¬ 
ter-road they followed, used by farmers for bring¬ 
ing out their logs and fire-wood. It was very 
crooked, too, and rough, but in a short time the 
deep snow would cover up the latter defect, and 
the jingle of bells would echo among the trees. 
Now it was the talk and laughter of the boys 
which alone disturbed the peaceful silence. 

After having walked a little over half an hour, 
they came to a place, somewhat open, and here 
they found club-moss in abundance lining the 
ground. To their left, the rippling of the brook 
could be heard flowing on its way to the river. 
Ahead of them stood the thick forest of pine, fir, 
and spruce. It was a cool November day, and 
when the boys started from home their warm mit¬ 
tens had felt good. But the brisk tramp had set 
their blood in rapid circulation, and with bare 
hands they now gathered the moss and stuffed it 
into bags which they had brought with them. 
They worked with a hearty good-will, vying with 
one another, each striving to have his bag full 
first. 

Their task was almost finished, when Gyp’s 


244 EOD OF THE LONE PATEOL 


savage barking up among the thick trees arrested 
their attention. 

i6 Let’s go and see what he’s got,” Eod sug¬ 
gested. 

44 Oh, it’s only a squirrel he’s treed,” the cap¬ 
tain contemptuously replied, straightening him¬ 
self up for an instant from his bent position. 
4 ‘It’s all that critter’s good fer. If he’d some¬ 
thing big it’d be worth while.” 

For a few moments longer the boys worked in 
silence. But they could not keep their attention 
away from Gyp, whose barks were now becoming 
more savage and insistent than ever. That he 
was in a great state of excitement was quite evi¬ 
dent. Even the captain was at last forced to 
take notice. 

“It does seem that he has something more’n a 
squirrel,” he remarked. “Maybe it’s a coon he’s 
got up a tree. They’re thick over there along that 
bank. Guess we might as well go and see what’s 
up, anyway.” 

At this the boys were delighted. They wanted 
to explore the deep recesses of that forest, and 
now that there was some excitement there made 
the longing all the greater. They followed in 
Indian fashion after the captain, who strode rap¬ 
idly forward, with his rifle in his right hand. 

Gyp’s barking sounded louder the nearer they 
approached. The boys as well as the captain 
strained their eyes ahead, anxious to find out what 


A NEW ADVENTURE 


245 


was the matter with the dog. For awhile they 
could see nothing through the net-work of trees 
and branches. But as they came close to the 
high steep bank overhanging the brook, they 
peered forward and caught their first glimpse of 
the excited dog. In front of him was a huge fallen 
spruce tree, with its roots projecting outward, 
like spokes in a great wheel. This tree had been 
lying there for years, and across it had fallen 
numerous small saplings and dead branches, until 
from a distance it assumed the appearance of a 
native African hut. 

The roots of this tree were only a few feet 
from the edge of the steep gravelly bank, and 
this, together with a furious gale, had been the 
cause of the spruced fall. Between two of the 
perpendicular roots, which were partly embedded 
in the ground, was a large hole, before which Gyp 
was making all the fuss. The stiff hairs on his 
back stood straight on end, and he kept leaping 
constantly forward and backward, wild with ex¬ 
citement. 

With considerable difficulty the captain thrust 
the dog aside, and with the rifle firmly clutched 
in his hands, he stooped in order to obtain a 
view of what was within. Scarcely had he done 
so, ere a deep growl and roar startled him, while 
at the same time a large black bear hurled itself 
like a catapult from among the roots. 

Taken by complete surprise, the captain reeled 


246 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


backward, dropping the rifle as he did so in an 
effort to maintain his balance. Before he could 
do this, however, he had gone over the edge of the 
bank, and after him went the bear. Down that 
steep incline man and beast rapidly ploughed 
their way, taking with them a small avalanche of 
stones and gravel. At the bottom of the bank was 
a pool of water about two feet deep, and into 
this they plunged, the captain in a sitting position, 
and the bear upon its back. Then followed a 
wild scramble as each endeavoured to get out first. 
The bear succeeded better than the man, for the 
captain had injured his knee, which made it diffi¬ 
cult for him to move quickly. 

Had this been a young bear he Would have taken 
to his heels at once, and disappeared among the 
trees. But being an old-timer, and not a bit cow¬ 
ardly, he had no intention of running away. He 
was very angry at being disturbed when he had 
his house all ready for his long winter sleep. 
Then that tumble down the bank into the water 
was more than his bearish nature could stand, and 
he was ready for fight. He scrambled out of the 
water, and rushed toward the captain. The lat¬ 
ter had no chance at all with his injured knee, and 
with nothing to defend himself. It was a critical 
moment, but he braced himself up, fumbled in 
his pocket for his clasp-knife, and then faced 
Bruin, who was now standing on his hind legs 
ready for the attack. 


A NEW ADVENTURE 


247 


When Captain Josh and the bear disappeared 
over the bank the boys stared in amazement, which 
soon changed to fear when they saw what the ani¬ 
mal really was. They crowded together, and it 
needed but a word to cause most of them to rush 
panic-stricken from the place. 

It was Rod who saved the situation. No sooner 
had the captain and the bear reached the water, 
than he sprang forward, seized the rifle, and 
leaped down the bank. He had much difficulty 
in keeping his feet, and several times he thought 
that he would lose his balance and tumble head¬ 
long into the pool below. He managed, however, 
to keep from falling by digging his feet into the 
gravel, and thus step by step moved quickly down¬ 
ward. 

Rod knew something about the captain’s rifle, 
as on several occasions he had been shown how 
it worked, and once, which was a red-letter day 
to him, he had been allowed to fire it off. It was 
quite fortunate that the boy had this slight knowl¬ 
edge, which now served him in good stead. Rod 
saw the bear rise on its hind legs, and he knew 
from stories he had read that this was the 
ordinary method of attack. He could not afford 
to lose a moment, he was well aware, if the cap¬ 
tain was to be saved. 

Creeping close to where the bear was standing, 
he drew back the hammer, took steady aim at the 
brute’s body, and pulled the trigger. At once 


248 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


there was a loud report, and Rod was sent reel¬ 
ing backward as if hit on the shoulder by a huge 
rock. For an instant he imagined that the bear 
had struck him with its paw, but a shout from 
the captain caused him to scramble to his feet. 
Then his eyes rested upon the black form of the 
bear lying upon the ground but a short distance 
away. 

4 ‘Is it dead?” he asked, hurrying over to where 
the captain was standing. 

‘ ‘ Dead! Doesn’t he look like it ? ’ ’ was the reply, 
as the old man laid a heavy hand affectionately 
upon the boy’s shoulder. “That was a great shot, 
lad, and jist in the nick of time. My! I was sure 
he was goin’ to have me fer dinner. That would 
have been a slower and more painful death fer 
the brute, ha, ha!” 


CHAPTER XXIII 


FIRST AID 

B Y this time the rest of the scouts had scram¬ 
bled down the bank, much ashamed of them¬ 
selves for their recent fear. They were now most 
anxious to do all they could to assist the captain. 
They soon learned that he was unable to walk, for 
in addition to his injured knee he had sprained 
his ankle. He tried to take a few steps in order 
to show the boys that he was not much hurt. But 
this was more than he could endure, and he gave 
a deep groan of pain as he sank down upon the 
ground. 

i ‘ It’s nothin’ lads,” he growled, somewhat an¬ 
noyed at the accident. “Yez better go home and 
git a team to take the bear out. I’ll stay and 
keep him company till yez come back. He might 
be jist foolin’, and will sneak off into the woods. 
We can’t afford to run any risk.” 

“ We ’ll not leave you, captain,” Rod stoutly 
protested. ‘ ‘ You ’re soaked with water, and you ’ll 
get a bad cold if you stay here. We’ll carry you 
home.” 

‘‘Carry me!” the captain exclaimed in surprise. 
249 


250 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Yez couldn’t tote a heavy log like me all that 
distance. ’’ 

“ We’re going to try, anyway. We’re scouts, 
remember, and you have often told us what to do 
in a case like this. I guess the bear will be all 
right. He looks quiet enough now.” 

There was nothing for the captain to do but to 
submit, and though he growled somewhat at what 
he called their foolishness, yet he was pleased at 
their interest on his behalf. 

The boys at once set to work to prepare a 
stretcher for their wounded scoutmaster. With 
a scout axe, Rod cut down several small maples, 
trimmed off the leaves, and cut them the neces¬ 
sary length. He then asked the captain for his 
coat, as it was the largest they could get. 
Through the sleeves of this they ran two of the 
poles, which thus formed one end of the stretcher. 
Then taking off their own coats they did the same 
to the other end. It took five of theirs to equal 
the captain’s, and even then they were afraid that 
all combined would not bear the man’s weight. In 
addition to the coats, the scouts fastened their 
leather belts together, and stretched these between 
the poles for greater support. 

The captain was greatly pleased at the speedy 
way in which the boys did this work. But he had 
his doubts about their being able to carry him 
home. He weighed about one hundred and sev¬ 
enty pounds, which would mean over forty 


FIRST AID 


251 


pounds to each of the four scouts who would take 
their turn at the stretcher. Rod thought of this 
and a new idea came suddenly into his mind. 
Picking up two of the other maple saplings he 
had cut, he placed them crosswise beneath the 
stretcher, and stationed a scout at each end. 
When all was ready, the captain rolled himself 
upon the rude contrivance which had been made, 
and told the hoys to go ahead. At once the eight 
scouts stooped and without any difficulty lifted 
him from the ground. They were delighted to 
find that not a sleeve ripped, and not a belt gave 
way. 

It was decided that they should follow the 
brook down-stream for a distance until they came 
to the old winter-road. By doing this they would 
escape the thick woods, as well as the climb up 
the steep bank. It was a rough trip, and the cap¬ 
tain was jolted a great deal. 

‘‘Don’t make me sea-sick,’’ he warned, when he 
swayed more than usual. “Ugh!” he groaned, 
as one of the hoys slipped upon a rock, and 
dropped the end of his pole. “I’ve been over 
many rough seas in my life, but nothin’ to equal 
this. Steady, there,” he cried, as the swaying 
motion increased. “Ah, that’s better,” he en¬ 
couraged, when they at length reached the winter- 
road. 

The scouts enjoyed the captain’s remarks. He 
cheered them when they did well, and made them 


252 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


rest occasionally. But it was a heavy load they 
were bearing, and right glad were they when at 
last they reached the Anchorage, and handed 
over their charge to Mrs. Britt. 

That afternoon Phil’s father took his horses 
and went with the scouts to bring in the bear. Sev¬ 
eral able-bodied men accompanied them, for news 
had spread from house to house of what had taken 
place up the brook. It was almost sundown when 
they returned, and quite a crowd of neighbours 
were gathered around the captain’s house to see 
the bear which Rod had shot. 

The scouts were delighted with their adventure, 
and each considered himself a hero when he met 
other boys in the parish. Whyn was greatly ex¬ 
cited over the whole affair, and had to hear every 
detail from the captain himself. Her eyes sparkled 
with pleasure when she learned of the brave part 
Rod had taken. She was wise enough, however, 
not to praise Rod when the rest of the scouts 
were present, for she knew that they would be 
jealous. But when he was alone with her one 
afternoon, she told him just what she thought. 

“I think you did great,” she exclaimed, after 
they had talked for awhile about the bear. 

44 Oh, I didn’t do much,” was the reply. 

“Yes, you did. If it hadn’t been for you, the 
bear would have killed the captain. He told me 
so himself.” 

4 'Well, I’m glad I was there to save him. It was 


FIRST AID 


253 


my good turn, that’s all, and one must never ex¬ 
pect praise for that. But, say, Whyn, have you 
seen the bear’s skin? It’s a beauty. The neigh¬ 
bours skinned it, and Phil’s father is going to 
take it to the city. He thinks that he can sell 
the meat as well, for some people like it to eat.” 

i ‘What a letter I shall write to Douglas,” the 
girl replied, as she clasped her hands together. 
“Isn’t it great, the many wonderful things I have 
to write about!” 

“And I shall write to Miss Royanna,” Rod de¬ 
clared. “I know she will like to hear about that 
bear, though she will be so sorry that the captain 
got hurt.” 

“And will you write to your mother?” Whyn 
asked. 

“Yes, I suppose so. But I don’t know whether 
she’s interested in bears or not. But I know that 
Miss Royanna is, for she’s interested in every¬ 
thing. Say, Wdiyn,” and Rod lowered his voice, 
“I wish she was my mother; wouldn’t it be 
great?” 

“Oh, Rod!” and the girl looked her astonish¬ 
ment. 

‘ ‘ There, I knew you’d say that. But I can’t help 
it. I don’t know my mother, and how can I love 
some one I have never seen? I suppose she’ll 
land here some day and take me away. She said 
that she was coming last summer, but she put it 
off, lucky for me.” 


254 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


After the excitement over the bear had some¬ 
what subsided, the scouts settled down to the 
work of making wreaths. For awhile this 
was carried on in the kitchen of the Anchorage, 
as the captain wished to be on hand, and to give 
what assistance he could. It was several weeks 
before he was able to bear his foot to the ground, 
and this was a most trying time to him. Such an 
active life had he always led that to be confined 
to the house was hard for him to endure. Whyn 
was also able to be present, and sat in the big 
chair the captain had made, and watched with in¬ 
terest all that took place. She made a few 
wreaths herself, though she was not able to do 
much, as she tired very quickly. The scouts liked 
to have her with them, and she was often able to 
instruct them, and to pass judgment upon their 
work. 

Another valuable helper was Miss Arabella. It 
was quite remarkable the way she “happened 
along,” as she expressed it, whenever the boys 
met for wreath-making. In fact, she and the 
captain became quite friendly, which was a great 
surprise to all. 

“Guess ye’ll have to be scoutmaster, Miss 
Bella,” he told her one evening. 

“Goodness me!” was the startled reply. “I 
couldn’t handle a bunch of boys.” 

“And why not, Miss Bella?” 

“They’re too much like men; always wanting 


FIRST AID 


255 


something, and never satisfied when they get it.” 

“So that’s the reason ye never got a man, eh? 
Ho, ho! ” and the captain gave a gruff laugh. 

“Yes,” Miss Arabella snapped. “I was afraid 
he might be just like you, Captain Josh,” at which 
retort the boys shouted with delight, while the 
captain, too, was highly amused at the fun which 
had been caused at his own expense. 

Thus on the nights when the work of making 
the wreaths was carried on an excellent spirit 
of friendship prevailed. Neighbours, hearing of 
the good times at the Anchorage, often dropped in 
to assist the scouts. On several occasions they 
brought refreshments, such as sandwiches, cakes, 
and doughnuts, which added very much to the 
enjoyment of the evenings. 

The neighbours were so pleased with these 
social gatherings that they were very sorry when 
the wreaths were all made and sent to the city. 
They had experienced the pleasure of meeting 
together during the long winter evenings, and 
there was now a serious blank in their lives. They 
accordingly decided that something must be done, 
with the result that a small club was formed, which 
met once a week at the scouts’ Headquarters. The 
women brought their knitting or sewing, while the 
men were allowed their pipes. There was a pro¬ 
gramme arranged for each night, consisting of 
songs, recitations, and at times a debate on some 
familiar subject. 


256 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


The scouts were only too glad that their elders 
were so interested in thus gathering together, and 
they did all they could to keep the room clean, 
and make it as bright as possible. They them¬ 
selves met twice a week, and when the captain was 
able to get around, the regular scout work was 
continued. 

Captain Josh had studied hard to keep ahead of 
the boys, and in this he did remarkably well. But 
when it came to giving addresses on First Aid 
to the Injured, he candidly confessed his ig¬ 
norance. 

“Give me a broken rope,” he said, “and I’ll 
splice it in no time. But a broken bone is too 
much fer me. As fer veins, arteries, bandaging, 
and sich things, ye can’t expect an old man like 
me to understand about them. No, we’ve got to 
leave that to some one else.” 

And that some one proved to be Doctor Travis, 
a young man who had recently settled in the 
parish. He was much interested in the scouts, 
and hearing of their need through Parson Dan, he 
offered his services free, which were gratefully 
accepted by the scouts. 

It was a raw winter night when the doctor gave 
his first lecture to the boys. A stiff wind was 
swinging in from the northeast, plainly telling that 
a heavy storm was near at hand. But safe within 
their warm room, the scouts gave no heed to what 
was taking place outside. They listened with in- 


FIRST AID 


257 


tense interest as the doctor explained to them 
what a wonderful machine the human body really 
is, the difference between veins and arteries, the 
various kinds of fractures, and other things nec¬ 
essary for a second-class scout to know. 

The lecture was as interesting as a story, and 
the doctor was delighted at the attention of the 
scouts. The large chart made everything so clear, 
and impressed firmly upon the minds of the boys 
the things they had heard. It was half-past 
nine when they were through, and when the door 
was opened, all were surprised to find such a 
furious storm raging over the land. It had been 
snowing for some time, and drifts were already 
piling up around Headquarters. 

“Ye must stay with me to-night,” Captain 
Josh told the doctor. “We kin put ye up all 
right, and in the mornin’ ye’ll have a chance to 
see Whyn. I want ye to have a look at her, any¬ 
way, fer she’s not been up to the mark of late.” 

Thus the doctor made up his mind to remain, 
and he bade good night to the boys as they left the 
room, and plunged out into the storm. 

“Take care of yerselves, boys,” the captain 
shouted, “and don’t git lost.” 

Such a warning was needed, for no sooner had 
the scouts left the building than the storm struck 
them in all its fury. The night was so dark that 
they could not see a yard ahead of them. But 


258 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


the road to the main highway was fenced in, and 
so they were kept from going astray. 

Rod led, and with bent heads the rest followed. 
Step by step they pressed onward, with the snow 
driving full into their faces. It was cold, too, and 
the wind, piercing their clothes, chilled them. It 
was fortunate that they had not far to go, else 
they would have found it almost impossible to 
reach their homes on such a night. 

They had gained the highway, and Rod had 
just turned to leave his companions, who lived in 
the opposite direction, when he stumbled and fell 
over something lying in the snow. His cry of 
surprise soon brought the rest of the scouts to 
his side. Regaining his feet, Rod felt with his 
hands to see what the object was over which he 
had tumbled. 

‘ 4 It’s a man!” he shouted, straightening himself 
suddenly up. ‘ 4 Maybe he’s frozen. Come and 
let’s carry him back to the house.” 


CHAPTER XXIV 


THE PRODIGAL SON 


APT AIN JOSH and the doctor were enjoy- 



ing the tea which Mrs. Britt had ready for 
them, when the scouts arrived bringing the man 
they had found in the snow. He was a heavy load, 
and the boys were almost exhausted by the time 
they reached the house. In a few brief words 
Rod explained how they had discovered him, and 
then the doctor at once examined the unfortunate 
man. Soon all was in a bustle about the place, and 
not until the unconscious man was attended to 
and in bed, did the boys leave to begin once more 
their battle against the storm. 

The stranger was a man of about thirty years 
of age, heavily bearded. His face had the ap¬ 
pearance of one who had experienced much suf¬ 
fering, and his staring eyes were deep-sunken in 
their sockets. Mrs. Britt had given him only a 
brief glance, but that was sufficient to remind her 
of one who was constantly in her mind. When 
the captain and the doctor were again back in the 
kitchen discussing the stranger, she stole to his 


259 


260 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


side, and looked intently upon his face. She held 
the light close, and as she did so she trembled 
so violently that she almost let the lamp fall from 
her hand. Recovering herself, she went imme¬ 
diately to her husband’s side and touched his 
shoulder. 

“It’s Jimmy!” she cried, clasping her hands 
before her. “IP's our own boy!” 

With a startled exclamation, the captain sprang 
to his feet, and looked questioningly at his wife. 

‘*Jimmy, did you say# In there?” 

‘■Yes, I am sure of it. Gome, see for your¬ 
self,” and Mrs. Britt led her half-dazed husband 
into the little bed-room. 

The doctor remained behind in the kitchen. His 
thoughts, however, were not upon his pipe, which 
was Sending wreaths of blue smoke into the air. 
He was thinking of far deeper things. His brief 
career as a medical man had already brought 
him into close touch with many strange circum¬ 
stances. He liked to ponder them over very care¬ 
fully. But this was altogether different, and as 
he. sat there, he endeavoured to imagine the life of 
the , son who had. gone from home years before,, 
and had returned in such a sad condition. 

He was aroused by the captaiips hand laid 
heavily upon his shoulder. 

‘•It’s.him, doc! My God, it’s Jimmy!” It was 
all. the old man could say. He shook like a leaf, 


THE PRODIGAL SON) di 


261 


and sitting suddenly down upon a?splint-bottom 
chair, he buried his face in. his hands, i 1 

“Are you sure?” the doctor asked, not know¬ 
ing what else to say. 

‘ ‘ Sure, 5 ’ was the low reply. *f Strange I didn ’4 
know him at first. But it’s him all right. And, 
say, doc, ye’ll bring him around, won’t ye IP and 
the captain raised his eyes appealingly to his com¬ 
panion’s face. 

“I shall do all I can, captain, never fear.” 

“May the Lord bless ye■, doc, fer them words. 
Isn’t it lucky that ye’re here to-night? Jist think 
what the scouts have done. But fer them my 
Jimmy would be lyin’ out there in the storm. And, 
say, d’ye believe in God?” 

“ Y-yes, I suppose so,” was the somewhat doubt¬ 
ful response. 

“But ye’ll be sure now, dead certain, won’t 
ye, doc?” 

“Why? I don’t catch the drift of your mean¬ 
ing.” 

“Ye don’t? W T hy, that’s queer, after what He’s 
done fer my Jimmy. Who else sent them scouts 
out there to bring my boy in but Him? And to 
think that all of these years I’ve been scoffin’ at 
Him and religion, and then fer Him to do so 
much fer me and my Jimmy! ’ ’ 

The doctor knew not how to reply, and so con¬ 
tinued his smoke, while the captain sat nearby 
with bent head, deep in thought. The storm still 




262 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

raged without, but there was silence in the kitchen, 
save for the kettle which sang upon the stove. 
But a more intense silence reigned within the little 
bed-room adjoining, where a mother knelt by the 
side of her only child, holding his cold right hand 
in hers, and offering up wordless prayers that he 
might be spared. 

News of Jimmy Britt’s return soon spread 
throughout the parish, and everywhere there was 
the buzz of gossip as to the strange way he had 
come home. Some thought he must have been 
drunk, which caused him to fall upon the road. 
Others believed that he was so poor that he could 
not afford to be driven from the train. But all 
were of one mind that his not writing to his par¬ 
ents for years was most mysterious. 

While all this talking was going on, Jimmy was 
being slowly restored to life through the doctor’s 
skill, and the mother’s careful nursing. Mrs. 
Britt now found the work of looking after two 
patients almost beyond her power of endurance. 
It was then that Miss Arabella offered her assist¬ 
ance, and proved a veritable angel of mercy in her 
attention to Whyn, and doing what she could 
about the house. 

During the weeks which followed the night of 
the great storm the scouts did not meet at Head¬ 
quarters. They knew that the captain had little 
or no heart for anything now but the care of his 
son. They accordingly met from house to house, 


THE PRODIGAL SON 


263 


but most often at the rectory, where Mrs. Royal 
always made them welcome. They were all greatly 
interested in the captain’s son, of whom they had 
heard so much, and they longed to see him. Nearly 
every day Rod went to the Anchorage to see 
"Whyn, and they talked very much about Jimmy. 
The latter, however, he never saw, as no visitor 
was allowed in his room. 

To the scouts the winter seemed very long, and 
delighted were they when spring at last set in. 
The days lengthened rapidly, the snow disap¬ 
peared, and the ice was fast weakening in the 
river. It was a fine afternoon when Rod was 
making his regular visit to Whyn that he saw 
Jimmy. He was sitting in a sunny spot right in 
front of the house. His thick beard had been 
removed, and his face was very pale after his 
illness. Rod recognised him in an instant, and it 
was with difficulty that he kept back a cry of 
astonishment. With fast-beating heart he rushed 
into Whyn’s room, much to the girl’s surprise, for 
he was in the habit of entering quietly. 

“Why, Rod, what’s the matter?” 3 inquired. 
“You look half frightened to death.” 

“It’s him, Whyn!” he exclaimed. “I’m sure 
of it.” 

“Who is it? What do you mean?” the girl 
asked. “Sit down, and be sensible.” 

6 ‘ He’s the very man who was knocked down and 
robbed in the city, Whyn.” 


264 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“What man?” 

“Jimmy. He’s out there. His whiskers are all 
off, and I knew him the instant I got my eyes on 
him.’ 7 

“Does the captain know that?” Whyn ques¬ 
tioned, after a moment’s thought. “Isn’t it 
strange that Jimmy should have been helped 
twice by our troop? How delighted Captain Josh 
will be.” 

“You tell him, ‘Whyn,” Rod suggested. “He 
ought to know, but if I say anything it will seem 
like boasting. It was only our good turn, and we 
are not supposed to say anything about what 
we do.” 

Whyn had no scruples, however, and that very 
afternoon she spoke to the captain. She told him 
all that Rod had said, how that he was sure that 
Jimmy was the very man who had been attacked 
and robbed. The captain said very little, but later 
he had a long talk with his son, who, up to the 
present, had been very reticent about the past 
few years of his life. Jimmy was sitting on a log 
near the shore when the captain spoke to him 
about the matter. For a few moments the younger 
man remained very silent, as he whittled a piece 
of cedar wood with his sharp knife. 

“What’s wrong with ye, lad?” the captain 
asked. “Why can’t ye answer a straight ques¬ 
tion?” 

“Sit down, dad, and don’t get excited,” was the 


THE PRODIGAL SON 


265 


reply. “There, that’s better. There’s something 
I want to tell you, and it’s been on my mind for 
weeks past, so it might as well be now as any other 
time. When I left home I wrote to you quite often. 
But when I got away north, and mixed up with a 
rough crowd, I somehow got out of the way of 
writing. I was a long way from the post-office, 
and mails were very irregular, which perhaps had 
something to do with my neglect. I struck it 
rich there, dad, and made my pile, which, thank 
God, is now safe in the bank. When I came ‘out¬ 
side,’ it was to have, as I thought, a good time. I 
did several of the big cities on the Pacific coast, 
and then drifted to New York. I need not tell 
you of my life there, as it wouldn’t do any good. 
I had the money, and so there was no trouble about 
seeing the seamy side of life. But one night, I 
don’t know yet how it happened, I drifted into 
a place to hear a famous singer. She was great, 
and her voice, oh, dad, I wish you could have 
heard it. But what got me was the closing piece. 
It was called, ‘My Little Lad, God Bless Him.’ 
I can’t begin to tell how that song affected me. It 
seemed like the cry of a broken-hearted mother 
for her only boy, who was away from her. In an 
instant I thought of mother and you, and when 
I left the place that night I was all broken up. I 
tried to shake the feeling off, but every night it 
came upon me stronger than ever. 

“As the weeks went by I became very wretched. 


266 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


I saw what a brute I bad been, and bow you at 
borne must have suffered. The upshot of it was, 
that I left New York, landed in St. John, got way¬ 
laid, was in the hospital unconscious for a long 
time, unknown to all. When I got out, I took the 
evening train, intending to hire a team at Green- 
side to drive me home. I couldn’t get any one to 
bring me at that time of the night, and so I began 
to foot it. When the storm overtook me I fought 
hard, but I was very weak, and—oh, well, you 
know the rest.” 

When Jimmy was through, the captain sat for 
some time without saying a word. He looked 
straight before him, as if watching the ice, and 
wondering when it would go out. But he saw 
nothing there, for his mind was upon more im¬ 
portant things. 

“Jimmy,” he at last remarked, “this is all His 
doin’s. I kin see that now. He has protected you, 
and brought ye back to us.” 

“Who?” Jimmy asked in surprise. “It was 
that song which did it.” 

“Ah, yes, Jimmy. But back of that was An¬ 
other, the very One I’ve been neglectin’ fer years. 
It’s wonderful, lad! it’s wonderful, and don’t ye 
fergit it.” 

The very next Sunday morning, Parson Dan, 
and all those at church, were astonished to see 
the scouts march in, accompanied by their scout¬ 
master. It was the first time in years that the 


THE PRODIGAL SON 


267 


captain had been there, and all noted how thought¬ 
ful and reverent he was. He had ordered the 
scouts to attend Headquarters that morning, with¬ 
out telling them of his plans. From there he had 
marched them straight to church, with orders to 
behave themselves, and do credit to the troop. 

That day there was no one in all the parish as 
pleased as Parson Dan at the great change which 
had come over the careless and indifferent captain. 


CHAPTER XXV 

DRIFT-LOGS 

T HE following week was very stormy. The 
rain drove up from the south, and the river 
rose rapidly. The ice, now greatly weakened, 
slowly stirred before its final rush to the sea. 
Then the moment arrived when it started forward, 
impelled by the gathering mass up-stream. All 
day long it surged onward, and far on into the 
night, carrying along trees, and stones, ripping 
and grinding, demolishing a wharf here, or up¬ 
rooting a tree there. No power of man could 
stop it. People stood on the shore watching the 
sight, familiar, and yet always new. The last 
sign of winter had now departed, and all knew 
that in a few hours the first steamer of the season 
would be on her way up-river. 

With the ice, and following it, came the drift- 
logs. In a number of cases booms had been 
broken, and the work of months ruined in an 
instant. For a hundred miles or more these logs 
were scattered along the river, drifting with the 
tide, caught in coves, and mouths of creeks, or 
stranded upon the shore. To collect as many of 
268 


DRIFT-LOGS 


269 


these as possible was a big task. Yet it was im¬ 
portant, for these logs represented much money, 
and their entire loss would spell ruin to some 
lumbermen. 

In less than two days after the ice had gone 
out, a notice was posted at the store. It told of 
the offer of ten cents for each drift-log. There 
were men who made a regular business of this 
every spring. They bought all the logs which 
had been collected by the inhabitants along the 
river, took them to the city, where they were sorted 
out according to private marks, and sold to their 
respective owners at an excellent profit. 

Formerly, Captain Josh had paid no attention 
to such posted notices. The work of gathering 
drift-logs he considered beneath the dignity of an 
old sea-captain. “I'm not a scavenger,’’ he had 
often told people, when they had asked him why 
he didn’t collect the logs which always floated 
near his shore, and into the little cove just below 
his house. “If I can’t make a livin’ without doin’ 
sich work, then I’ll give up.” 

But this spring the captain studied the notice 
most carefully, and he walked back to the Anchor¬ 
age in a very thoughtful mood. He was thinking 
of the scouts. He was anxious that they should 
make more money, and here was a fine oppor¬ 
tunity. They had already two hundred dollars in 
the bank, for the bear and the wreaths had added 
another fifty to the account. But the captain was 


270 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


not satisfied. He longed to have three hundred 
dollars there, for with that amount there was 
hardly a possible chance of the Hillcrest troop be¬ 
ing beaten in the struggle for the prize. He dis¬ 
liked the idea of now turning scavenger after he 
had talked so much against the work. But he was 
not thinking of himself, so that made a vast differ¬ 
ence. 

He found the scouts at Headquarters, for school 
was out, and this was their regular afternoon of 
meeting. They were awaiting his coming with 
eagerness, as they, too, had seen the notice in the 
store. But they knew the captain’s views on the 
matter, and, therefore, had serious doubts about 
speaking to him in reference to the drift-logs. 

“Hello, boys,” was his cheery greeting, as he 
seated himself upon a block of wood before the 
door. “How’s business?” 

“Not very good,” Rod replied. “But we have 
a plan for making more money.” 

“Yez have, eh? Well, that’s interestin’. What 
is it?” 

“But we’re afraid you won’t like it,” Rod 
declared. 

“H’m, is that so? Must be pretty bad, then. 
Not goin’ to steal chickens, are yez? I can’t 
agree to that.” 

The boys gave a hearty laugh, and the captain 
smiled grimly. He was quite certain what the 
plan was which the scouts had in view. 


DRIFT-LOGS 


271 


“Oh, no, we wouldn’t steal anything,” Rod 
hastened to explain. “We want only honest 
money. This will be honest, but you don’t like the 
way of earning it.” 

“How d’ye know that, young man? What 
makes ye wise so mighty sudden?” 

“You have often said so yourself, sir. Haven’t 
you told us that you didn’t like collecting drift- 
logs? You always said it was beneath your dig¬ 
nity, didn’t you?” 

“Ho, ho, that’s it,” the captain roared. “Sup¬ 
pose I did say that, what’s wrong about it?” 

“Nothing, sir, nothing, only-” 

“Only what?” 

“That you wouldn’t care for us to gather drift- 
logs, and sell them.” 

“Did I ever say anything about you?” the cap¬ 
tain demanded. 

“No, sir. But we thought-” 

“Oh, so yez thought, eh? Well, then stop sich 
thinkin’, and git to work. It’s beneath my dig¬ 
nity to he pokin’ around after logs, because I’m a 
sea-captain. But that has nothin’ to do with you. 
It’s beneath my dignity to go bare-footed, but it’s 
all right fer you. It’s beneath my dignity to go 
to school, hut not fer you, see?” 

“And you’re quite willing to let us collect the 
logs?” Rod enquired. He was all alert now and 
excited, as were also the rest of the scouts. 


272 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Sure. Go ahead, and I’ll keep an eye over 
yez.” 

“And may we have the tender?” 

“Certainly. Yez couldn’t do much without 
that. But be very careful, and don’t git a duckin’. 
I don’t want any accidents. Yer parents look to 
me to take care of yez, and I don’t want to have 
any bad news to carry to yer homes. ’ ’ 

Thus it came about that the boys began to 
gather logs that very afternoon. The captain sat 
upon the shore watching and giving advice. 
Four of the scouts manned the tender. Two 
rowed, while Rod and Phil herded the logs to¬ 
gether, which were then towed to the little cove 
and fastened to the shore. The rest of the boys 
rolled the stranded logs into the water, and then 
by means of poles floated them also into the cove. 
It was very exciting work, and the time came all 
too soon for them to go home. But before they 
left they counted how many they had, and found 
that there were one hundred and forty-five safely 
rounded up. This was most encouraging, and 
their hearts were filled with joy at the success of 
their undertaking. 

The captain had watched the boys with great 
interest. He was proud of the speedy and skilful 
manner in which they had performed the work. 
He knew that if he had assisted there would now 
be many more logs in the cove. But he could 
not afford to lose his dignity, oh, no, and he 


DRIFT-LOGS 273 

chuckled as he sat there for a few minutes after 
the scouts had gone home. 

That evening when supper was over, the cap¬ 
tain started out alone in the tender. He told his 
wife that it might be late before he got home, and 
for her not to worry. He knew where many 
logs were lying in coves and creeks unknown to 
the scouts. Hour after hour he patiently toiled, 
collecting these, and lashing them together with 
timber-dogs and ropes he had brought with him. 
It was long after dark when he at last took his 
raft in tow, and began to row for his own shore. 
The tide was favourable, so after a pull of over an 
hour he had the satisfaction of making them fast 
to a tree in front of the Anchorage. 

Next morning the captain was in great spirits, 
and he chuckled so often over his breakfast that 
his wife’s curiosity was aroused. 

‘‘What is it, Joshua?” she asked. 4 ‘You seem 
to be greatly amused over something.” 

“Oh, it’s only a little surprise fer the scouts,” 
was the reply. “Don’t say a word, and I’ll tell 
ye.” 

“But what about your dignity, Joshua?” Mrs. 
Britt laughingly enquired, when she had heard the 
story. “May I tell Whyn? She would be so 
pleased, poor girl.” 

“Sure, Betsey. But how is she this morn'n’?” 

“No better, I’m afraid. She is failing fast. 
She hasn’t been able to see the scouts for some 


274 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


time, and you know what that means. She just 
lies there all day without saying hardly anything. 
She is so different from what she was when she 
first came here.” 

“But she still takes an interest in what the 
scouts are doin’, does she not?” 

“Oh, yes, in a way. But she cannot get up her 
old enthusiasm. The least excitement tires her. 
She is an angel, if ever there was one. Mrs. Sin¬ 
clair is coming this morning, so she wrote. She 
will be terribly disappointed in Whyn.” 

Often during the day the captain went to see 
if the logs he had gathered during the night were 
safe. Then before school was out, he took off 
all the tacklings, and scattered the logs along 
the shore, so that they had the appearance of 
having drifted there in the night. He kept a strict 
watch over them now lest they should get too far 
from the shore, and very glad was he when at last 
the scouts arrived. 

They were surprised and delighted to find so 
many logs near at hand, and never for a moment 
did they suspect what the captain had done. It 
took them the rest of the afternoon getting the 
logs into the cove, and when this was accom¬ 
plished, they stood upon the shore and gazed 
proudly upon their haul, as the captain termed it. 

“Ye’ve done well, lads,” he remarked, “fer ye 
must have nigh onto three hundred now. But yez 


DRIFT-LOGS 275 

should have a boom around them. If a gale 
springs up, there ’ll be trouble.” 

Acting upon this suggestion, and directed by 
the captain, the scouts spent another hour in 
encircling their logs with a stout boom, which they 
made secure to the shore. 

“ There, that’s better,” was the captain’s com¬ 
ment, when this had been completed. “Yez’d bet¬ 
ter hurry home now, fer it’s gittin’ rather late.” 

As the hoys were about to leave, a small tug 
came up the river, and swerved somewhat to the 
left. A man was standing in the wheel-house, 
watching those on shore. No word was spoken as 
the boat sped by, but a thoughtful expression ap¬ 
peared in Captain Josh’s eyes as he stood and 
studied the tug for several minutes. 

“I wonder what she’s after,” he mused, half 
aloud. 

“Perhaps she’s going up-river for logs,” Rod 
suggested. 

“Maybe she is, lad. But I was jist wonderin’ 
whose logs she’s after, that’s all. I know that 
craft, so that’s what makes me uneasy. If it’s 
your logs she’s after it’ll be well to keep a sharp 
lookout to-night. Last spring quite a number of 
logs disappeared, and I know yez don’t want to 
run any risk with yours.” 

The scouts were much excited now, and the 
idea of keeping watch appealed to their fancy. 
They all wanted to stay, but the captain told them 


276 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


to go home first and get permission from their 

parents. 

“I’ll keep a eye out,” he told them, “until some 
of yez come back. Ye’d better bring yer blankets 
along, so that the ones who are not on duty kin 
sleep. I guess ye’ll find the floor of Headquarters 
quite soft before mornin’.” 

By the time the scouts returned it was nine 
o’clock. They found the captain on guard near 
the shore. 

“Nothin’ doin’ yit,” was his greeting. “But, 
then, it’s too early. The best thing fer yez to do 
is to take an hour each on watch. Put the 
youngest on first, and the older ones kin take from 
midnight. If anything of special interest turns 
up, let me know. I’ll sleep with one ear open.” 

And thus the watch began. It was a novel ex¬ 
perience for the scouts, and all were anxious for 
their turn to arrive. Every time the door opened 
and guard was relieved, all awoke, for they slept 
lightly, as the floor was not as soft as their own 
beds at home. 

Phil had taken from twelve to one, and he was 
followed by Rod. It was a beautiful night, with 
the stars twinkling overhead. Not a ripple dis¬ 
turbed the surface of the river. Frogs croaked in 
the distance, and peculiar night sounds fell upon 
his ears. He sincerely hoped that something 
would happen during his watch, and as he sat 


DRIFT-LOGS 277 

upon a log among the bushes his eyes and ears 
were keenly alert. 

Never before did an hour appear so tedious to 
Rod. When it seemed that he had been there long 
enough he pulled out the watch the captain had let 
the boys have for the night and, striking a match, 
saw that he had been on guard only half an hour. 
At times a drowsy feeling came over him, and he 
was forced to move about to keep from going to 
sleep at his post. He wondered if the other 
scouts had felt the same way. 

He had just seated himself after a short walk, 
when a 'sound out on the river arrested his atten¬ 
tion. At first he thought that he must be mis¬ 
taken. But, no, he was sure now that he could 
hear the noise of a boat cutting through the water. 
This brought him to his feet, and he strained his 
eyes in an effort to see what it could be. And as he 
looked he beheld a dim object in the distance, 
which was growing more distinct. It was moving 
when he first saw it. Then it slowed down and 
seemed to be drifting. There was hardly a sound 
made now, and the watcher on the shore could 
tell that the boat was drawing closer to where 
the logs were lying. This looked serious, and he 
believed that it was there for no good purpose. 
He waited a few moments, however, to be sure. 
He did not wish to give a false alarm, and thus 
bring upon himself the ridicule of the other scouts. 

The boat was now near enough for him to dis- 


278 ROD OF THE LONE PATHOL 


cern it quite plainly. Presently it stopped and 
a small boat put off, and made straight for the 
logs. Hod hesitated no longer, but turning, sped 
swiftly along the shore and then up the path lead¬ 
ing to the Anchorage. Reaching the house, he 
pounded upon the door, which was opened al¬ 
most immediately by the captain. 

“They’re there!” Rod gasped. 

‘‘ After the logs ? ’ ’ the captain enquired. ‘ ‘ Are 
you sure?” 

“Yes. Come quick, or it will be too late!” 

Stepping to one corner of the kitchen, the cap¬ 
tain picked up his rifle, and swiftly followed Rod 
to the shore. There they paused and listened. 

“Ye’re right, by gum!” the captain whispered. 
“The skunks! But I’ll stop their fun. Into the 
tender now, and make no noise.” 

With Rod seated astern, and the captain at the 
oars, it took but a few minutes to come close to 
the tug. A long line had already been made fast 
to the raft, and the small boat with two men on 
board was returning from fastening the warp. 
Captain Josh ceased rowing and waited. Then he 
caught up his rifle, and held it in readiness. 

“Hold on there!” he roared. “What’s the 
meanin’ of all this?” 

“None of your business,” was the gruff and 
somewhat startled reply. ‘ ‘ Get out of the way or 
we’ll run ye down!” 

“Is that so?” and the captain drew back the 


DRIFT-LOGS 


279 


hammer of his rifle. ‘ 4 Bluff all ye like, hut IVe 
something here which does more hi bluff. Stop 
rowin’, I tell ye, or I’ll blow yer heads off!” 

It was remarkable what an effect these words 
had upon the night-prowlers. They could see, as 
well, the levelled rifle, and they believed that the 
man holding it meant business. They stopped 
rowing, but the boat still glided onward. 

“Back water, and keep away from the tug!” 
the captain commanded. 

The men obeyed, and soon the boat was lying 
but a few yards off. 

“There, that’s better,” the captain commented. 
“Now, what have yez to say about yer actions 
here ?’ ’ 

“We’re only obeyin’ orders,” was the surly re¬ 
ply. “We were told to come fer these logs.” 

“Who told ye?” 

“Nick Taftie. We’re workin’ fer him.” 

“H’m, I thought so. Worked fer him last 
year at the same job, eh?” 

“Yes.” 

“How many of yez are there?” the captain en¬ 
quired. 

“Three. Pete Simons, the engineer, is on 
board.” 

“Well, then, ye jist tell Pete to drop anchor, and 
tumble in there with yez. If yez try any foolin’, 
I’ll shoot.” 


280 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


‘ ‘ But what are ye going to do ? ’’ one of the men 
demanded. “We can’t stay here.” 

“Never mind what I’m goin’ to do; ye’ll find 
that out in plenty of time. It’s not a bad place to 
stay, after all. Yez won’t starve, and I shan’t 
shoot so long as yez behave yerselves. Hurry up, 
and give Pete his orders!” 

The engineer had heard every word which had 
been spoken. At first he was tempted to steam 
away, and leave his companions to their fate. 
But he knew that he could not very well steer the 
tug and handle the engine at the same time. He, 
therefore, decided to remain. It took him only a 
few minutes to run out the anchor, and join his 
companions, as they backed their boat to the stern 
of the tug. 

“Now pull fer the shore,” the captain ordered. 
“Don’t try to git away from me. At the first 
sign I’ll shoot.” 

Rod rowed the tender, while the captain with 
his rifle across his knees kept his eyes fixed upon 
the three men in the other boat. When a short 
distance from the shore, the captain commanded 
them to stop, and hand over their oars. This they 
reluctantly did, and waited to see what would hap¬ 
pen next. 

“Got an anchor on board?” the captain asked. 

“Yes, a small one,” was the reply. 

“Well, out with it then, and don’t pull it up 
till yez receive orders.” 


CHAPTER XXVI 


THE BEST i * GOOD TURN” 

T HERE was great excitement throughout 
Hillcrest over the capture of the log-steal¬ 
ers. In a short time everybody knew how the 
scouts had kept watch during the night, and how 
the three tug-boatmen were forced to remain in 
their anchored boat, with the captain guarding 
them while the scouts went for the magistrate and 
constable. There was a feeling of satisfaction 
that this had been so successfully accomplished, as 
it would no doubt put an end to such contemptible 
business in the future. 

It was only natural that the trial should arouse 
unusual interest. It was held in the large public 
hall, and the building was packed with eager and 
curious spectators. Nick Taftie, the unscrupulous 
business man, was present. He had tried to get 
away across the border into the United States, 
but had been caught and forced to attend the trial. 
Everything was against him. The three boatmen 
told of the many logs they had stolen for him dur¬ 
ing other years. Taftie’s lawyer fought hard and 
long, but all in vain. The evidence was too strong 
281 


282 ^ ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

against him, and he was convicted. He was con¬ 
demned to a term in Dorchester Penitentiary, and 
in addition, he had to settle for all the logs he had 
stolen from people along the river. The three 
boatmen were let off with a fine and a warning. 

The city papers made the most of this affair, 
and the day after the arrest they had long col¬ 
umns telling of what the Hillcrest troop had done. 
They mentioned, also, how these same scouts had 
captured the robbers on Kidd’s Island, and how 
the famous singer, Anna Roy anna, had visited the 
troop and had sung at their entertainment. Great 
credit was given to the scouts for having rounded 
up the gang of river-thieves. It was explained 
further that the hoys had collected drift-logs for 
the purpose of earning money to win the Lieuten¬ 
ant-Governor’s prize. 

All this so impressed three lumber-merchants 
in the city that they united, and sent a cheque of 
one hundred and fifty dollars to the Hillcrest 
troop. This caused intense excitement among the 
scouts when they met at Headquarters, and the 
captain read to them the letter he had received. 
With whoops, worthy of a band of painted In¬ 
dians on the warpath, the boys charged upon their 
scoutmaster in order to see the wonderful cheque. 
Then a hahel of voices ensued as they discussed 
how much money they had, and what kind of a 
motor-boat they should buy. It was their opinion 


THE BEST “GOOD TURN” 


233 


that they must get it at once. But the captain 
shook his head. 

“Don’t be in too big a hurry, lads,” was his 
reminder. “That money must stay in the hank 
till the Governor gives his judgment. He ’ll want 
to see the bank-book, and he’ll have to receive a 
full report as to how the money was raised. We 
must capture that prize, remember.” 

4 ‘ How much money will we have when the logs 
are sold?” Rod enquired. 

“Let me see,” and the captain scratched his 
head. “We have two hundred in the bank. This 
cheque will make three hundred and fifty, and them 
logs should bring us twenty-five more. That’s 
quite a sum, boys, and I think we’re pretty lucky. 
I doubt if any other troop’ll have that much.” 

In their excitement the scouts longed to rush into 
Whyn’s room, and tell her the great news. But 
this they could not do, and the thought that she 
could not share their joy somewhat dampened 
their enthusiasm. The captain told them that two 
doctors were to hold a consultation over her that 
very day. His voice was lower and softer than 
the scouts had ever heard it as he mentioned this, 
and they knew that he was deeply grieved over the 
girl’s condition. Their interest at winning so 
much money was now lessened. Their hearts were 
touched at the news about Whyn, and they left 
Headquarters in a quieter manner than they had 
done in many a day. 


284 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Rod was more deeply moved than the rest of 
the scouts. That Whyn could not get better had 
never before entered his mind. But for two doc¬ 
tors to hold a consultation over her brought a 
great sinking feeling to his heart. Would she 
never be able to see the scouts again? he asked 
himself, as he walked slowly homeward. He had 
no appetite for his supper, and went to bed earlier 
than usual. But he found it hard to get to sleep. 
Whyn was ever before him, and he thought of her 
lying there in her little room. Why should she 
die? he reasoned. The scouts wanted her, and so 
did her mother. He tossed for a long time upon 
his pillow, and when he did at last fall into a fitful 
slumber, he dreamed of Whyn, and the money 
the scouts had earned. They seemed to be mixed 
up in some funny way. He saw the girl holding 
out her hands to the scouts while they were count¬ 
ing over a large roll of crisp bills. 

He could not get clear of this dream when he 
awoke in the morning, and he thought much of 
it during breakfast. Both Mr. and Mrs. Royal 
had noticed something unusual about Rod’s man¬ 
ner. At first they thought that he was not well, 
and they watched him carefully as they now sat at 
the table. They were naturally proud of the part 
he had taken in the capturing of the river-thieves, 
as well as the way he was developing into such 
a strong manly boy. 

“I saw Doctor Travis last night,” the clergy- 


THE BEST “GOOD TURN” 


285 


man at length began. “He and Doctor Sturgis 
from the city held a consultation over Whyn yes¬ 
terday afternoon. I am afraid, that her case is 
very serious.” 

“I expected as much,” Mrs. Royal replied, with 
a deep sigh. “The poor girl has been failing 
rapidly of late, so I understand.” 

Rod laid down the knife with which he was 
spreading his bread, and fixed his eyes full upon 
the clergyman’s face. His heart beat fast, and he 
was very pale. 

“She has one chance, however, so the doctor 
said,” the parson continued, “but I fear that is 
almost out of the question.” 

“And what is that?” Mrs. Royal enquired, as 
her husband paused, and began to toy thoughtfully 
with his napkin-ring. 

“To send her to some great specialist in New 
York. An operation of a most serious nature 
is necessary, but it will take so much money that 
it seems almost ridiculous even to think of such 
a thing. It is about all that Mrs. Sinclair can do 
to make a living as it is.’ 9 

“But surely there is some one who would be 
willing to advance the money,” Mrs. Royal re¬ 
plied. “Is it right that the girl should die with¬ 
out an effort being made to save her life?” 

“It would take a large sum, Martha, and I am 
afraid that there is no one sufficiently interested 
in the girl who is able to do much. The specialist’s 


286 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


fees alone would be great, to say nothing of other 
expenses. I know where some of the money could 
he obtained, but I should be most loath to use it.” 

As Rod sat and listened, with flushed face and 
sparkling eyes, the dream of the past night once 
more came into his mind. He saw Whyn holding 
out her hands to the scouts while they were busy 
counting over their money. Then an idea came to 
him which caused him to give vent to a slight ex¬ 
pression of delight. 

1 ' What is it, dear ? ’ ’ Mrs. Royal enquired. 1 1 You 
seem to be amused over something.” 

“I was only thinking, grandma, and could not 
help it.” He wished to unburden his mind, but 
thought it best to wait until he had seen either 
Captain Josh or the rest of the scouts. 

Rod could hardly wait now until breakfast was 
over, so anxious was he to rush over before school 
to speak to the captain about his new plan. He 
finished the few chores he was in the habit of 
doing, and then sped across the field as fast as his 
legs would carry him. 

The captain was in his shop near the house, but 
he was not working as Rod opened the door and 
entered. He was sitting on a bench, with his face 
buried in his hands. He looked quickly up as the 
boy walked in, as if ashamed to be caught in such 
a manner. 

4 'What’s up now?” was, his gruff greeting. 


THE BEST "GOOD TURN” 287 

"Ye needn’t startle one out of his senses. Why 
can’t ye knock in a proper manner?” 

‘ 6 Oh, captain, ’ ’ Rod panted, paying no attention 
to the rebuke, 11 1 want to talk to you about some¬ 
thing.” 

‘ ‘ Go ahead, then. It must be mighty important 
to bring ye here this momin’ in sich a hurry.” 

"It is, captain, and it’s about Whyn.” 

"About Whyn, eh? What d’ye want to tell me 
about her?” 

"That she can’t get better, unless she goes to a 
specialist. Doctor Travis told grandad all about 
it last night.” 

For an instant the old man looked keenly into 
the clear eyes of the boy standing before him, and 
a deep love for this manly chap entered his heart. 

"Sit down,” he ordered, and his voice was 
husky. "So ye’re interested in Whyn, eh?” 

"Oh, yes. I don’t want her to die.” 

"Neither do I, lad. Neither do I. But what are 
we goin’ to do? Tell me that.” 

"Help her, captain. The scouts can do it. We’ve 
got money, and why shouldn’t we give it for 
Whyn’s sake?” 

"What, take the money we’ve earned?” 

"Yes. We’ve nearly four hundred dollars.” 

"But what about the prize, Rod?” 

"Oh, we can get along without that, but we 
can’t do without Whyn.” 

"Ye’re right there, lad,” and a mistiness came 


288 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


into the captain’s eyes. “But it’ll take a lot of 
money to send her to that specialist. Four hun¬ 
dred dollars won’t go very far.” 

“But it will help,” Rod urged. “It will be our 
good turn, anyway. And say, captain, wouldn’t 
you do a great deal for Whyn?” 

“Sure, lad, indeed I would. Do almost any¬ 
thing, in fact.” 

“Well, then, suppose you sell the Roaring 
Bess.” 

“Sell my boat!” This was almost too much 
for the captain. 

“Yes, why not? You can get another, can’t 
you?” 

“I suppose so,” was the slow response. 

“And if that isn’t enough, you can sell your 
place. You would do it for Whyn’s sake, wouldn’t 
you ?’ ’ 

This was more than the captain had expected. 
He crushed back a naughty exclamation, and rose 
slowly to his feet. 

“Look here, Rod, what d’ye think I am? A 
saint? Git away to school now, or ye’ll be late. 
I’ll think over what ye’ve said, and discuss it with 
the troop this afternoon. Ye’ll see the boys at 
school, so tell them to meet here as soon as they 
git out. Ye’d better not tell them anything about 
yer plan until I’ve had time to think it over fer 
awhile.” 

Rod found it very hard to keep his mind down 


THE BEST 4 ‘GOOD TURN” 


289 


to his lessons that day. He was too much excited 
over the idea of helping Whyn. Pie wanted to 
speak to the other scouts about it, and thus re¬ 
lieve his feelings. But he had received the cap¬ 
tain^ order, and so must obey. 

The rest of the scouts were most anxious to 
know what the special summons meant, so it did 
not take them long to reach Headquarters as soon 
as school was out. Their scoutmaster was there 
before them, who explained in a few words why 
he had called them together. 

“I want yez to decide this matter fer yer- 
selves,” he told them in closing, “and I’ll tell yez 
what I think about it when yez have made up yer 
minds.” 

4 4 Certainly we must give the money, ’’ Rod cried, 
as soon as the captain was through. “It’s for 
Whyn, and who wouldn’t do anything for her! 
He has no right to belong to this troop if he 
wouldn’t.” 

“Let’s give it,” the rest shouted in unison; 
“every cent of it.” 

4 4 But what about the prize ! ’ ’ the captain asked. 

44 Let it go,” was the general response. 

44 And the motor-boat!” 

4 4 We can do without that, eh, boys! ’ ’ This from 
Rod. 

4 4 Yes, yes. Hurrah for Whyn! ’ ’ and the scouts 
in their loyal enthusiasm threw their caps into 
the air, and shouted at the top of their voices. 


290 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Into the captain’s eyes gleamed a light of joy 
and triumph. He felt at that moment like a gen¬ 
eral whose men had consented to make a mighty 
sacrifice for a great cause. He tried to say some¬ 
thing, but the words would not come. Instead, 
he stepped up to each scout, and reached out his 
big right hand. This action on the part of their 
leader had more effect in filling their hearts with 
pride than an outburst of eloquence. They under¬ 
stood something of what the captain felt, and how 
pleased he was at their decision. 

4 4 But remember, lads, ’ ’ he reminded them, 4 4 our 
money’ll go only a little way, and we mustn’t git 
too excited jist yit.” 

44 How much will it take?” one of the boys asked. 

44 I can’t say fer sure. But I wouldn’t be a bit 
surprised if it should take two thousand dollars.” 

44 Oh!” was the astonished exclamation from 
all. 44 Why will it take that much?” they en¬ 
quired. 

4 4 Specialists are expensive people, ’ ’ the captain 
explained. 44 I knew a man years ago who went 
to one, and it cost him more’n that.” 

44 But maybe he won’t charge as much for a girl, 
especially when it’s Whyn?” Rod suggested. 

44 H’m, I guess that won’t make any difference. 
Anyway, we must be prepared, as our motto says. 
We’ve got to git more money, that’s certain, and 
how are we to do it?” 

There was silence for a few minutes, as the 


THE BEST “GOOD TURN” 


291 


scouts well knew from past experience how hard 
it was to think of any plan to raise money quickly. 
They realised that they could not expect to have 
such good fortune as they had during the past 
year. It was Rod who broke the silence. 

“I know what we can do,” he began. “We can 
go through the parish, and ask every person to 
give something. That’s what the Ladies’ Aid did 
when they wanted to build that shed for the horses 
near the church.” 

“But how would Whyn like that!” the captain 
asked. “Wouldn’t it seem too much like beg- 
gin’!” 

“It would he better, though, than letting her 
die,” Rod insisted. 

“Sure, sure,” the captain agreed. “But I 
don’t like the idea, fer all that. Let’s go home 
now and think of some other plan. If it comes to 
the worst, we might have to beg, but not if we 
kin help it.” 


CHAPTER XXVII 


JIMMY 

I T took Jimmy Britt many weeks to regain his 
strength after his serious illness. For a long 
time he manifested very little interest in what 
was going on around him. His father and mother 
were greatly disappointed and discouraged. He 
only spoke when spoken to, and spent hours wan¬ 
dering alone along the shore or out in the woods. 
The scouts annoyed him, and they kept as far from 
him as possible and he from them. The only 
conversation he had with his father concerning 
his past life was the day he spoke about Anna 
Royanna, and the influence her song had upon 
him. The captain and Mrs. Britt were afraid 
that the blow he had received upon his head had 
somewhat affected his brain, and this caused them 
considerable worry. The neighbours had already 
whispered this among themselves, for they had 
been quick to notice the change which had come 
over the returned son. 

“Look here, Jimmy ,’ 9 his father said that eve¬ 
ning after the scouts had left, ‘ 4 1 want ye to write 
a letter fer me. My old hand is so cramped that 
292 


JIMMY 293 

I kin hardly hold a pen. Ye used to be good at 
sich work.” 

“All right,” Jimmy replied, rising slowly and 
bringing down the writing materials from an up¬ 
per shelf. “Now, tire away; I’m ready.” 

But the captain hesitated, and was at a loss 
how to begin. He scratched his head in per¬ 
plexity. 

‘ ‘ Dang it all! ” he muttered. ‘ ‘ Oh, jist tell him 
that we have a little sick girl here, who will die 
if she doesn’t git to a specialist in New York, and 
that I’d like fer him to help out with the expense.” 

“What are you talking about, dad?” Jimmy 
asked. “I can’t write the letter until you give 
me the name of the person you want it sent to.” 

“Oh, didn’t I tell ye? Well, that’s queer. It’s 
fer my old master, Benjamin Dodge, in the city. 
He’s got the money, and he told me that if I ever 
needed any help to go to him. I have never both¬ 
ered him before, and never intended to do so, but 
this is different. Whyn’s life’s at stake, and 
that’s reason enough. The scouts are to give all 
the money they earned fer that prize, but it won’t 
go very far. We need a great deal more, and at 
once.” 

“And did the scouts give that money of their 
own free will?” Jimmy asked. “Did you suggest 
it to them?” 

“No. I never thought about it until Rod came 


294 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


over this mornin’ and put the notion into my 
head.’’ 

For some time Jimmy sat toying with the pen 
he was holding in his hand. 

“Why don’t ye write that letter?” his father 
demanded. 

“So you say that the girl can’t get better unless 
she goes to a specialist?” his son enquired. 

“It’s what the doctors say; that’s all I know 
about it. But git on with that letter, will ye?” 

“Look here, dad,” and Jimmy laid aside the 
pen. “I’m going to the city in the morning, and 
suppose I see old Dodge about the matter. It 
will be much better than writing a letter. I can 
explain things which I couldn’t write.” 

“Maybe that would be the best wav,” the cap¬ 
tain agreed. “But put it up to him straight, 
Jimmy. He’s a gruff cur at times, but he’s got a 
big heart.” 

“I’ll attend to that, dad. Just leave it to me.” 

The captain was very restless the next day. He 
thought that the time for the arrival of the eve¬ 
ning boat would never come. Jimmy was to return 
on her, and suppose Dodge was unwilling to as¬ 
sist ! What would he do ? His eyes often turned 
toward the Roaring Bess riding at anchor before 
the house. Several times he stood in front of the 
door and looked out over his few acres of land. 
What his thoughts were he kept to himself, but 
the expression of determination in his eyes told 


JIMMY 


295 


of a man who would not easily be balked in the 
object upon which he had set his heart and mind. 

Captain Josh met Jimmy at the wharf, and the 
two walked down the road together. 

“Well, did ye see Dodge?” the captain eagerly 
enquired. 

“No,” was the brief reply. 

“No?” the old man repeated, while his heart 
sank low. 

“I didn’t see him, and I didn’t intend to.” 

“But what about Whyn, Jimmy? Didn’t ye 
promise me that-” 

“Oh, that’s all right,” and the son gave a short 
laugh. “I have the money, and isn’t that 
enough ? ’ ’ 

“Ye’ve got the money, ye say?” the captain 
asked in astonishment, stopping abruptly, and 
looking keenly into the young man’s face. ‘ ‘ Where 
did ye git it?” 

“Don’t worry about that, dad. It’s honest 
money, and I’m glad it’s to be spent for a good 
purpose. But for that little song I heard in 
New York, it would have been all blown in by 
this time.” 

“Jimmy, d’ye tell me that it’s yer own money?” 
the captain demanded. “Or are ye only foolin’ 
me?” 

“It was mine, dad, but now it’s yours, so here 
it is,” and the son brought forth a big roll of 


296 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


bills from his pocket, and handed it to his father. 
Sit down, dad, and see how much is there.’’ 

Seating himself upon a stone, the captain spread 
out the bills upon his knee, by fifties and hundreds. 

“A thousand dollars!” he gasped, when he had 
finished. His hands trembled, and his body shook 

from the vehemence of his emotion. “ Jimmy-” 

It was all he could say. 

“There, there, dad, that will do,” and the son 
laid his right hand affectionately upon his father’s 
shoulder. “When you want any more, let me 
know. But don’t give that girl a hint where that 
money came from. Tell her a friend gave it, see? 
Come, now, let’s get home. Mother will be wait¬ 
ing tea for us.” 

The captain said very little during supper, and 
when the meal was over, he sat smoking for some 
time in deep thought. Then he laid aside his pipe, 
and went to Whyn’s room. He knocked gently 
upon the door before entering. The girl gave 
him a wan smile of greeting, and reached out her 
thin hand. The captain held it for awhile, and 
W nyn was content to let it remain there. 

1 How are ye feelin’, little one?” he asked. 

“Tired,” was the reply. “But mamma is com¬ 
ing to-morrow, and I must be better when she is 
here.” 

“Sure, sure. But we’re goin’ to have ye better 
all the time soon, so keep up courage.” 

“I’m afraid not,” and WTiyn gazed sadly and 


JIMMY 


297 


thoughtfully toward the window where the west¬ 
ering sun was casting its beams. “I shall never 
be better, captain.” 

“Tut, tut. Don’t say sich a thing.” 

“But I know it, so what’s the use of pretend¬ 
ing? Didn’t the doctors say that I can’t get bet¬ 
ter unless I go to a specialist?” 

“Well, why can’t ye go?” the captain queried. 
“What’s to hinder ye?” 

“It’s the want of money,” was the slow reply. 
“It would cost so much, and we are poor. I know 
that Douglas would help if he could, but he can’t 
do much now.” 

“But suppose ye had the money, and could go, 
would it make ye happy?” 

“Don’t tease me, captain,” and the girl gave 
the hard hand which was holding hers an affec¬ 
tionate little squeeze. 

“I’m not, Whyn, really I’m not. The scouts 
are goin’ to send ye.” 

’ “Captain Josh!” 

“There now, never mind any of yer exclaimin’. 
I knew it would surprise ye. Yes, the scouts have 
decided to send ye to a specialist. Everything is 
all arranged. ’ ’ 

“But I can’t allow it, captain,” Whyn pro¬ 
tested. “Do they mean to take their money and 
use it upon me?” 

“Yes, that’s jist what they’re goin’ to do.” 


298 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

“But what about the prize, and the motor- 
boat?” 

“Don’t ye worry about sich things. That mat¬ 
ter is all settled. The boys love ye so much that 
they’re willin’ to do anything.” 

Whyn lay very still for awhile, her eyes moist 
with tears. The captain, sitting by her side, 
watched her in silence. 

“It is too much for them to do,” the girl at last 
murmured. 

“Oh, not at all,” the captain replied. “They 
are only lendin’ ye the money, and ye kin pay them 
back when ye git well and write that book of 
yours.” 

“How lovely that will be!” and Whyn clasped 
her hands before her in delight, something like 
her old manner. “It will take some time, though. 
But I shall do it, and the first money I get shall 
go to the scouts.” 

Suddenly an expression of anxiety came into 
her eyes as she fixed them full upon the captain’s 
face. 

“What is it, little one?” he asked. 

“But the scouts won’t have enough money, will 
they?” she enquired. 

“Hardly enough, Whyn. But a kind friend 
has given some to help out. He doesn’t want 
ye to know his name, and will it worry ye much 
if I don’t tell ye?” 

“No, not at all. You have oeen so good to 


JIMMY 


299 


me that I have no right to ask. Oh, I am so 
happy, and won’t mamma be delighted when she 
hears the news.” 

The day after Mrs. Sinclair’s arrival, prepara¬ 
tions were made for the removal of the invalid 
girl. All knew that the trip would be a serious 
undertaking, but they said nothing about this to 
Whyn. Her mother was going with her, and Cap¬ 
tain Josh and Mrs. Britt were to go as far as St. 
John. But before leaving, Whyn had one special 
request to make. She wanted to see the scouts, to 
thank them and to bid them good-bye. 

They came the evening before she left, and filed 
silently into her room. It had been months since 
they had seen her, and all were shocked to see how 
she had failed. Whyn greeted them with a bright 
smile, and held out her hand to each one in turn. 

‘ ‘ I can’t talk much, boys, ’ ’ she began , 11 for I am 
very tired now. But I want to thank you all for 
what you have done for me. Be sure and keep 
the troop together. I want each one of you to 
write to me, and tell me all the news. ’ ’ 

How the scouts got out of her room they coqld 
hardly remember, but at last they found them¬ 
selves standing before the house looking out over 
the river. All wanted to say or do something to 
hide their real feelings. It was Bod who rose to 
the occasion. 

‘Come, boys,” and his voice was low as he 
spoke, “let’s have a swim. The water’s fine.” 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


EXCITEMENT AT THE ANCHORAGE 

A DEEP gloom settled suddenly over the 
scouts after Whyn left. The enthusiasm and 
excitement of the last few days had departed, 
leaving them much depressed. They had little 
to work for now, as all hope of winning the 
prize was gone. Their logs had been sold, and 
the money placed in the bank where it would 
remain until needed for the sick girl. The boys 
never for a moment regretted the step they had 
taken. There was something lacking, however, 
and they found it difficult to take up their regular 
scout work where they had left it off. They met 
at Headquarters as usual, and spent much time 
with the captain out on the water, but whenever 
they came ashore and looked up at the window 
where Whyn had so often greeted them, their 
hearts became heavy. They wrote long letters to 
her and upon the arrival of the mail each day they 
expected letters from her. But none came. Only 
to the captain did Mrs. Sinclair write, telling 
him of their safe arrival in New York. 

Mrs. Britt received a letter about the same time, 
300 


EXCITEMENT AT THE ANCHORAGE 301 


which caused her to set to work house-cleaning in 
a most energetic manner. Every room was 
turned upside down, swept, and dusted, while 
the captain beat carpets and mats until his back 
and arms ached. Miss Arabella was taken into 
the secret, and she came to the Anchorage every 
day to give a helping hand. 

It was Whyn’s room which received special 
attention. A carpet was ordered from the city to 
take the place of the old hooked-mat, and new 
curtains were put up to the window. 

“My, that looks fine,” Miss Arabella exclaimed, 
when the last finishing touches had been given to 
the room. 1 ‘ It will certainly be a surprise . 9 9 

The captain chuckled when he was brought in 
to give his opinion. In fact, he had been chuckling 
ever since Mrs. Britt had received the letter which 
started her upon the special cleaning of her al¬ 
ready neat house. The scouts felt that something 
out of the ordinary was pleasing the captain by 
his jolly manner. They often discussed it among 
themselves, but the more they talked, the more 
puzzled they became. They all knew about the 
house-cleaning, the new carpet, and curtains for 
Whyn’s room, and that Miss Arabella was at the 
Anchorage most of the time. 

“I guess I know what it’s all about,” Tommy 
Bunker confided one afternoon, when the scouts 
were discussing the matter. 

“What do you know?” Rod asked. 


302 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Jimmy’s going to get married.” 

“Married!” was the surprised shout from all. 

“Yes. He’s going to marry Miss Arabella. Pa 
said last night that she’s been looking for a man 
ever since he knew her, and if it wasn’t to be her 
wedding, he was mighty sure she wouldn’t be so 
mighty chummy with the captain and his wife.” 

“But they wouldn’t live at the Anchorage,” 
Phil replied. “Miss Arabella’s got a home of 
her own, hasn’t she?” 

“Pa says that Jimmy and Tom Simpkins don’t 
agree, and so they couldn’t live in the same 
house,” Tommy explained. 

The scouts no longer scoffed at this idea. It 
did seem to them that something like a wedding 
was about to take place. The captain was so mys¬ 
terious and full of fun, while Miss Arabella 
beamed upon the boys whenever she met them. 
It must surely be her wedding, they agreed. 

At the close of the second week of all this ex¬ 
citement, the scouts received orders from the 
captain to meet him at the wharf in full uniform 
upon the arrival of the evening boat. They were 
all there half an hour ahead of time, wondering 
what was going to happen. Maybe Jimmy and 
Miss Arabella had gone to the city that day, had 
been married, and were coming up on the steamer. 
What else could it be ? 

When at last the steamer did arrive, and the 
gang-planks had been run out, the scouts strained 


EXCITEMENT AT THE ANCHORAGE 303 


their eyes in an effort to find out who were com¬ 
ing ashore. Several landed, and then to their 
astonishment, who should step out but Anna Roy- 
anna! 

When Rod first saw her he could hardly believe 
his eyes. Instantly the meaning of all the excite¬ 
ment of the past few days flashed upon his mind. 
It was for her that the Britts had been getting 
ready. He seemed almost dazed as he stood there 
watching the wonderful woman coming forward. 
He joined the others in the cheer of welcome which 
the captain ordered to be given; he felt her hand 
grasping his, and saw the smile of pleasure upon 
her face. But it all appeared like a marvellous 
dream, too good to be true. He walked by her side 
with the rest of the scouts, and listened to her 
conversation with the captain. But he said noth¬ 
ing, unless directly spoken to. He was too happy 
for speech, and he preferred to remain silent that 
he might think over the joy which had so suddenly 
come into his life. The singer held his hand that 
evening as he was about to leave the Anchorage. 
He promised that he would come to see her every 
day, and then sped home to impart the great news 
to Parson Dan and Mrs. Royal. 

There was considerable excitement throughout 
Hillcrest when it was learned that the famous 
Anna Royanna had come to the Anchorage to stay 
for several weeks. It caused the greatest stir 
among the people from the city, especially the 


304 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


ones of the fashionable set. They could not un¬ 
derstand why such a woman should wish to take 
up her abode at the Anchorage, of all places. To 
them, the Britts were very inferior people. They 
knew the captain by sight and reputation, but 
his wife they had never met. 

After a week’s hesitation and consideration, 
several women called upon Miss Royanna one fine 
afternoon. But she was not in. She spent most 
of her time with the scouts, so Mrs. Britt informed 
them. She lived out of doors during the day, and 
in the evening was generally at the rectory. 

The Royals were charmed with the singer. She 
was so quiet and gentle, and made herself per¬ 
fectly at home. How her presence brightened up 
the house. At times she played on the little 
piano, and sang several of her sweetest songs. 

One evening when she was about to return to 
the Anchorage, a furious thunder-storm burst 
upon the land, accompanied by a torrent of rain. 
It continued so long that the Royals were able to 
induce their visitor to remain all night. 

“I am afraid that I shall give you too much 
trouble,’’ Miss Royanna told them. 

“Oh, no,” Mrs. Royal hastened to assure her. 
“It will be a great pleasure to have you. There 
is one room which is always ready, and,” here her 
voice became low, “no one has slept in it for 
over thirteen years. It was my son’s room,” she 


EXCITEMENT AT THE ANCHORAGE 305 


explained, seeing the look of surprise in her 
guest’s eyes. 

As Mrs. Royal uttered these words, she turned 
and lighted a lamp, and, therefore, did not notice 
the strange expression which overspread Miss 
Royanna’s face. Together the two went upstairs 
and entered the sacred chamber. 

“It was Alec’s room,” Mrs. Royal remarked, 
as she placed the lamp upon the dressing-table. 
“He was fond of all those things,” and she mo¬ 
tioned to the walls lined with books, fishing-rods, 
rifle, banners, snow-shoes, and pictures. I have 
aired the bed, and made it up every week since 
he went away. I know it will seem childish and 

foolish to you. But, oh-” she suddenly paused 

and sat down upon a chair by the side of the bed. 
“You little realise how much he meant to us. 
He was our only child, and his memory is very 
dear.” 

“I know it,” Miss Royanna replied, dropping 
upon her knees, and throwing her arms around 
Mrs. Royal’s neck. “I think I understand how 
much you have suffered during all of these years. 
But is it right for a stranger to occupy this room! 
Could I not sleep on the sofa downstairs! I 
would be quite comfortable there.” 

“No, no. You must stay here. I could never 
before bear the thought of any one sleeping in this 
room. But with you it is so different. You seem 
to me like my own daughter, and that you have 



306 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


a right here which no one else ever had. I cannot 
understand the feeling.’’ 

“May I be your daughter, then?” the younger 
woman eagerly asked, as she caught Mrs. Royal’s 
hands in her own hot ones. “It will make my 
heart so happy to be able to call you mother, and 
to feel that this is my home.” 

In reply, Mrs. Royal kissed the fair face so 
close to hers, and gave a loving pressure to the 
firm white hands. For some time they remained 
in this position, unheeding the storm which was 
still raging outside. Tears were in their eyes, 
but a new-found joy had entered their hearts, 
which made that chamber of sacred memories a 
more hallowed spot than ever. 

When at last alone, and with the door closed, 
the singer stood as if spellbound. Could it be 
possible, she asked herself, that this was his room, 
just as he had left it years before? The memory 
of the past rose suddenly and vividly to her mind. 
She saw again his straight manly figure, with the 
light of love in his eyes, as he kissed her and bade 
her good-bye on the morning of that fateful day 
years ago. She recalled his words of cheer and 
comfort as he told her how he would win in the 
battle of life, and make a home for her and their 
little one. Then came the terrible news, followed 
by the fearful days and weeks of struggle in her 
effort to earn a living as she carried her boy from 
place to place. The memory was more than she 


EXCITEMENT AT THE ANCHORAGE 307 

could endure. Sinking upon a chair, she buried 
her face in her hands and wept as she had not 
wept in years. Outside the storm rolled away, 
and the moon rose big and bright. The house was 
very still, but within her room Anna Royanna sat 
alone through the long watches of the night. How 
could she sleep in such a place, with so many con¬ 
flicting emotions agitating her heart and mind? 

Mr. and Mrs. Royal both noticed that their guest 
was very pale when she came down to breakfast. 

4 ‘I am afraid you did not sleep well last night, 
dear,” Mrs. Royal remarked, as she gave her an 
affectionate kiss. “It must have been the storm 
which disturbed you.” 

“I did not mind it,” was the reply. “I have 
restless nights sometimes, and last night was one 
of them. But I shall be all right presently.” 

Parson Dan said nothing to any one about the 
idea which had come to him concerning the noted 
singer. But the more he thought about it, the 
more convinced he became that his suspicion was 
well grounded. He watched her very carefully, 
and noted her special interest in Rod. Another 
thing which confirmed his belief was the stopping 
of all letters from Rod’s mother as soon as Miss 
Royanna arrived at Hillcrest. In her last one 
she had stated that she expected to be away for 
a number of weeks, and would be unable to write 
until her return. The parson’s mind was greatly 
puzzled over the whole matter. If the famous 


308 EOD OF THE LONE PATROL 

singer was really the boy’s mother, why did she 
not say so? Was there something which she 
wished to keep hidden? 

He also watched the two when they were to¬ 
gether, and as he studied their faces, he was sure 
that he could see a remarkable resemblance. No 
one else noticed it, so he believed, and not likely 
he would have done so but for the idea which had 
come to him that day he was driving along the 
road. Several times he was tempted to discuss 
the whole affair with his wife in order to find out 
if she had suspected anything. He always de¬ 
layed, however, hoping that something of a more 
definite nature would turn up to set his doubts 
at rest. 


CHAPTER XXTX 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 



FEW days after the big thunder-storm, 


Captain Josh received an official letter from 
the Provincial Secretary of the Boy Scouts. It 
was so important that he at once called his own 
scouts to Headquarters that he might place the 
whole matter before them. The boys were natu¬ 
rally curious to know why they had been so hur¬ 
riedly summoned, and they accordingly lost no 
time in getting together. 

The captain, seated at a little table, with the 
open letter before him, seemed much puzzled, and 
all waited anxiously for him to speak. 

“Boys,” he began, looking keenly into their 
faces, “I’ve got a strange letter here from the 
Provincial Secretary. He tells me that in two 
weeks’ time the Lieutenant-Governor wants to 
meet all the troops in the province, review them, 
and give the prize which was offered last year. 
Now, we all know about that, and so are not sur¬ 
prised. But the Governor wants to come to Hill- 
crest to hold the Review, and so the secretary asks 
me to make arrangements, that is, if I agree to 


309 


310 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


the plan. They will all come from the city on the 
mornin’ boat, bring their lunches with them, and 
hold the Review near the wharf. Now, what 
d’yez think about that!” 

This was certainly astonishing news to the 
scouts. Several weeks ago they would have given 
shouts of delight at the suggestion. But it was 
different then. At that time they were almost sure 
of winning the prize, and had often thought of the 
day when it would be presented to them amid the 
cheers of the other scouts. But now such a thing 
was impossible. Every cent of their savings had 
already been withdrawn from the bank to help 
Whyn, and they had nothing to show at the Re¬ 
view for all their efforts. They were, therefore, 
silent when the captain finished speaking. The 
latter noted this, and surmised the reason. 

“I know jist what ye’re thinkin’ about, lads,” 
he continued. ‘‘We’ll go to that meetin’ empty- 
handed, so to speak. But that needn’t matter. 
We know that we’ve done right, and I think we 
should fall in line with the Governor’s idea, and 
try to give the visitin’ troops a good time.” 

‘ ‘ So do I, ” Rod replied. ‘ ‘ Though we can’t get 
the prize, it will be nice to meet the other scouts, 
see how they march, and what they look like. I 
think it will be great to have them come to Hill- 
crest.” 

“I wonder what made them think of coming 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 311 

here,” Phil remarked. “They never did it be¬ 
fore.” 

“It is to give the scouts an outin’, so the letter 
says,” the captain replied. “It is the Governor’s 
treat, and he thought it would be so nice to visit 
a place on the river where there is a troop. The 
secretary wants to know why we have sent no 
account of what we have done during the past 
year in connection with the prize-contest. He says 
that all the other troops have done so, and he is 
surprised that we have done nothin’.” 

“I guess there won’t be anything to report 
now,” Rod replied. “Don’t say anything about 
what we have done, captain, when you write.” 

“I don’t intend to,” and the old man glared 
upon the boys as if he had been charged with some 
serious offence. “De’ yez think that I’m goin’ to 
blab all about our good-turn? Not a bit of it. 
Let’s git down to business now, and arrange about 
that Review.” 

The following days passed very quickly. There 
were many things the scouts had to do for the 
great event. The large field below the wharf was 
obtained, and here boards were brought for the 
grand-stand, which the captain was bound to have 
erected for the noted men who were coming. 
Stately elm, beech, and birch trees stood at the 
back and along the edge of the field, which would 
afford excellent shade should the day be hot. 
Flags, too, were gathered, and these were to be 


312 EOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


hung upon the grand-stand, while one big Union 
Jack was to surmount a pole from the top of the 
tallest tree. 

There was other work for the boys as well. 
They were not yet second-class scouts, and the 
captain was most anxious that all should pass the 
examination before the Review took place. He 
accordingly kept the troop busy, and Doctor Tra¬ 
vis was most helpful in his lectures and in exam¬ 
ining the boys. It was the day before the meet¬ 
ing when the captain proudly presented each scout 
with his second-class badge. 

“There, I’m thankful that’s over,” and he 
gave a deep sigh of relief. “Yez kin hold up yer 
heads now among the rest. I wish it was the first- 
class badge, though. Yez should have it by this 
time, and I guess ye would if we hadn’t spent so 
much time in earnin’ money.” 

The morning of the Review was clear and 
warm, and the scouts in full uniform were early 
on the grounds. The flags were all arranged, and 
everything was in readiness for the meeting. 
Word had passed throughout the parish that the 
Lieutenant-Governor was to be present, and all 
during the morning people kept coming, some by 
motor-boats, and others by teams. They brought 
their dinners with them, intending to make a holi¬ 
day of it. Even Tom Dunker was there with his 
family. He had no use for Captain Josh or the 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 313 

scouts, but lie did want to see the Lieutenant-Gov¬ 
ernor, and hear what he had to say. 

"When the River Queen at last appeared in sight, 
the wharf was black with people. As the steamer 
drew near and gave forth two raucous blasts, a 
band on board began to play the National Anthem. 
When this was ended, the scouts, crowding the 
bow, gave three cheers and a ‘ 4 tiger .’ 9 Flags 
were flying fore and aft, and as the river was like 
a mirror, the River Queen presented a perfect pic¬ 
ture of majestic gracefulness as if proud of the 
load she was carrying. 

Captain Josh with his scouts kept guard at the 
outer edge of the wharf, and stood at attention 
as the various troops filed ashore. When at last 
the Lieutenant-Governor and several noted men 
came out, the boys gave the full salute, and then 
preceded them to the main highway where the 
other scouts w T ere already lined up. Then down 
the road they all marched, the band going before, 
playing a lively air, the Governor, and others in 
carriages, followed by a long line of scouts, with 
the Hillcrest troop leading. It was a proud mo¬ 
ment for Captain Josh, as he marched ahead of 
the procession. Drawn to his full height, and with 
his long beard sweeping his breast, he might have 
been taken for a great warrior of olden days lead¬ 
ing his men into action. 

After the troops had reached the grounds they 
disbanded, and then various games were begun. 


314 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Baseball came first between two crack teams. 
Those not interested in this made for the shore, 
where, protected by thick trees, they were able to 
enjoy a good swim. 

When the baseball match was over it was time 
for dinner. Soon the smoke of numerous fires 
rose above the trees near the shore where the 
scouts boiled water, cooked eggs and meat like old 
veterans. It was a scene of gay festivity, mingled 
with much laughter and fun. All kinds of mis¬ 
takes were made, due to ignorance of cooking or 
the excitement of the moment. One patrol put 
their tea into their can with the cold water, and 
boiled all together. Some boys mixed their coffee 
with salt instead of sugar. But all mistakes and 
the bantering which followed, were taken in good 
part, for no one felt like getting angry, no matter 
what happened. 

The Hillcrest troop took no part in the games. 
They were content to stand by and watch. They 
knew nothing about baseball such as is played in 
the city, and were accordingly greatly interested, 
noting everything, and determined that they, too, 
would learn to play in the proper manner. But 
when it came to making a fire and preparing din¬ 
ner, they easily led all the rest. Here they felt 
more at home, and were able to give consid¬ 
erable assistance to the less fortunate. 

During the morning the Lieutenant-Governor, 
and the three who accompanied him, enjoyed 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 


315 


themselves in their own way. They viewed the 
baseball game with much interest in the cool 
shade of a large tree, and then strolled to the 
shore to watch the scouts as they prepared their 
dinners. As they were seated upon a log, think¬ 
ing it about time to go back to the steamer lying 
at the wharf where they were to have dinner, Cap¬ 
tain Josh approached, and lifted his hat. He had 
disappeared shortly after the steamer’s arrival, 
and no one knew what had become of him. The 
Governor at once rose to his feet, and held out 
his hand. 

“You are Captain Britt, I believe,” he began. 
“I have heard of you, and am very glad to meet 
you. We have been enquiring for you.” 

“Had other business on hand, sir,” the captain 
replied, giving the Governor’s hand a vigorous 
shake. “But I’m mighty glad to meet you.” 

“Allow me to introduce my friends,” and the 
Governor turned to his three companions, ‘‘ Sena¬ 
tor Knobbs, Judge Sterling, and our Provincial 
Secretary, Mr. Laird.” 

“Glad to meet yez all,” the captain exclaimed, 
as he gave the hand of each a hearty grip. “It 
isn’t every day our parish is so honoured. Now, 
what about dinner? Yez must be hungry by this 
time. ’ ’ 

“We are about to go back to the steamer,” the 
secretary replied. “They have made ready for 
us there.” 


316 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“ Dinner on the steamer!” the captain cried in 
surprise. “ Whoever heard of sich a thing at an 
outin’ like this. Now, look here, I want yez to 
be my guests to-day, at a real out-of-doors meal. 
Yez kin eat on a steamer at any time. Will yez 
come? Everything is ready.’’ 

“But what about the dinner on the boat?” the 
Governor enquired. 

“Oh, I’ll send one of the scouts to tell them that 
ye’re invited elsewhere. Will that do?” 

“I shall be delighted to go with you, and I 
know that my friends will, too. It is very kind of 
you to ask us.” 

Calling to Rod, who was not far off, the captain 
sent him at once to the steamer. Then bidding 
the men to follow him, he left the shore, crossed 
the field, and entered the forest at the back of the 
grand-stand. Here a trail led off to the left, and 
after a few minutes’ walk they came to a little 
brook gurgling down through the forest. Tall 
trees formed an arch over the water, birds twit¬ 
tered and sang, while a squirrel high up on a 
branch scolded noisily at the intruders. A few 
rods along the brook brought into view a grassy 
spot under the shade of a large maple tree. As 
the three strangers looked, their eyes opened wide 
with surprise, for there before them was a tempt¬ 
ing repast spread upon a fair white linen cloth. 

“Sit down, gentlemen,” the captain ordered, 
“while I make tea.” 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 


317 


‘‘ This is great ! 9 9 the Governor exclaimed, as he 
seated himself upon the ground, and leaned back 
against the bole of the tree. 

“It certainly is,” the Judge assented. “It 
reminds me of my boyhood days. This is good 
of you,” and he turned to the captain, “to take 
all this trouble for us.” 

“It’s only a pleasure, I assure yez,” the cap¬ 
tain returned. “Much nicer than the steamer, eh? 
Fall to, now. Ye’ll find them trout rather good. 
Caught them myself in the brook. Betsey’ll be 
right pleased if ye ’ll try her biscuit and pie. She 
was afraid they wouldn’t be good. Have some 
tea, sir?” and he held the tea-pot over the Gov¬ 
ernor’s cup. “Not too strong, eh? That’s good. 
Ye’ll find cream and sugar right there. Help yer- 
selves, now, and don’t be backward.” 

“Well, that’s the best meal I’ve had in a long 
time,” the Senator remarked, as he finished, and 
drew forth his cigar case and passed it around. 
“You didn’t do all this yourself, did you, cap¬ 
tain?” 

“Should say not,” was the reply. “Betsey, 
that’s my woman, did the cookin’, but Miss Roy- 
anna helped me fix things up here. It was her 
idea, not mine.” 

“Miss Royanna, did you say?” the Governor 
queried. “It seems to me I’ve heard that name 
before.” 

“Sure ye have. She’s the great singer. Anna 


318 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Royanna, she’s generally called. She’s livin’ with 
us fer awhile. Greatest woman out.” 

11 Strange, ’ ’ the Governor mused. Then he shot 
a swift glance toward the secretary, but that young 
man was staring hard at the captain. 

“There is certainly some tone to all this,” and 
the Judge gave a hearty laugh. “We little ex¬ 
pected to have our dinner served by such a noted 
person, and to be waited upon by a worthy sea- 
captain, did we, sir?” and he turned toward the 
Governor. 

But the latter had risen to his feet, as if sud¬ 
denly aroused by some pressing engagement. 

“Come,” he ordered, “let’s get back. It’s time 
for the Review to begin. The scouts will be get¬ 
ting impatient.” 

It took them but a few minutes to return to the 
grand-stand where Parson Dan was waiting to 
receive them. He and the Governor were old 
friends, and hearty was the greeting between the 
two. Then the call was sounded, summoning the 
scouts. Soon they were lined up according to 
troops before the stand, where the officials were al¬ 
ready seated, with the clergyman by their side. 
They invited Captain Josh to a seat on the plat¬ 
form, but he refused, saying that he preferred to 
remain with his boys. 

After the band had played a couple of inspiring 
national airs, the speeches began. They were not 
long, but full of interest, dealing with the scout 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 


319 


movement. The Senator spoke first, and was fol¬ 
lowed by the Judge. Parson Dan was asked to 
say a few words, but he declined, saying that the 
boys wanted to hear the Governor, and not a prosy 
old parson. 

When the Governor at last arose, he was greeted 
with great cheers. All the people had crowded 
as close as possible, so as not to miss a word of 
the address of the prominent man who had come 
into their midst. Near the platform stood Anna 
Royanna. The speeches mattered very little to 
her, for it was Rod’s face she was watching. She 
noted the eager interested look in his eyes, and 
his erect bearing as he stood at attention at the 
head of his patrol. How few the Hillcrest scouts 
were compared with the others, and a slight smile 
lightened the woman’s face as she thought of the 
surprise which perhaps was in store for them. 

The Governor at first complimented the scouts 
upon their neat smart appearance, and what an 
excellent thing the movement was. He then re¬ 
ferred to the prize which had been offered a year 
before, and that the time had at last arrived when 
it was to be awarded. At these words the as¬ 
sembled troops stood straighter than ever, eager 
and intense to hear the name of the successful 
troop. 

“I have the list before me,” the Governor con¬ 
tinued, as he arranged his eye-glasses, “and 1 
consider it a very creditable one indeed, showing 


320 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


most plainly how active the scouts have been. The 
committee has gone most carefully over the re¬ 
ports received, and has examined the bank-books 
accompanying them. I wish that I had time to 
read to you the many and ingenious ways in which 
the different troops have raised their money, and 
I sincerely wish that all could win the prize. Ac¬ 
cording to this list there is one troop which leads 
all the others, having earned the sum of two 
hundred and fifty dollars. The account of how 
this was raised is splendid, and by the rules laid 
down, that troop has won the prize. 

Here the Governor paused, and a breathless 
stillness reigned as all waited to hear the name of 
the fortunate troop. , 

“I understand, however/’ the speaker slowly 
continued, “that there is only one troop present 
which did not send in a report of its doings during 
the last year. This, perhaps, seems strange to 
you, and I have good reason to ask the scout¬ 
master of that troop to step forward and give 
some explanation. I would really do so if I did 
not have the full information myself, and before 
presenting the prize, I am going to tell you some¬ 
thing about that troop.” 

Then in a few words he told what the delinquent 
troop had done; how they had raised almost four 
hundred dollars, and how they had done it. He 
next told about the sick girl, and that the scouts 
of this troop had freely given every cent of the 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 


321 


money they had earned to send her to a specialist 
in Hew York. There was a strong note of pathos 
in the Governor’s voice as he mentioned the sick 
girl and the act of loving sacrifice on the part of 
the troop. He was a master of speech, and his 
words thrilled the hearts of his listeners. 

“You now know,” he said in conclusion, “why 
that troop has made no report. The prize was 
within their grasp. They had to decide between 
it and the life of a sick girl. They chose the 
nobler course, and so they are not the winners 
to-day. I wanted you to know this before we go 
any further. I shall now proceed to present the 
flag, and I ask troop number seven to step for¬ 
ward. ’ 9 

At once thirty scouts advanced, gave the full 
salute, and stood at attention. When the Gov¬ 
ernor stepped to the front of the platform and 
held forth the written order for the bugle band, 
the scoutmaster refused to take it. 

“We cannot accept it, sir, 9 ’ he simply said. i 1 It 
doesn’t belong to us, but to that troop which did 
so much for the sick girl.” 

The Governor was about to reply, when he was 
checked by an outburst of wild enthusiastic cheers. 
The scouts could restrain themselves no longer. 
With the greatest difficulty they had remained 
silent as the Governor told about what had been 
done for an invalid girl. But now this generous 
act on the part of troop seven following imme- 


322 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


diately after, was more than they could stand. 
They cheered at the top of their voices, and threw 
their hats high into the air. It was some time 
before order could be restored, for all were talk¬ 
ing at once, notwithstanding the frantic efforts 
of the scoutmasters to restrain them. 

“Do you really wish to give up all claim to the 
prize ?” the Governor asked troop seven, as soon 
as he could get a hearing. 

“We do,” came as one from the thirty boys. 
“We cannot accept it.” 

“Is that the wish of the other troops?” the 
Governor asked. 

The only answer was another outburst of cheer¬ 
ing, if anything, more vehement than before. 
Scarcely had they finished, when Captain Josh 
strode rapidly forward, and confronted the Gov¬ 
ernor. 

“We can’t allow it,” he shouted. “It’s not 
right.” He could say no more, for another deaf¬ 
ening uproar forbade further speech. 

“It is no use for you to refuse, captain,” the 
Governor told him, when peace was once more re¬ 
stored. “The troops won’t let you speak. Bring 
your scouts up here.” 

For a few seconds the captain hesitated. Then 
he wheeled, and ordered his troop to advance. 
Reaching the platform, the men there shook hands 
with each one of them. No one could say a word, 
for again the troops had let loose. The band 


THE TROOPS DECIDE 


323 


struck up the air of “For They Are Jolly Good 
Fellows,’’ and soon the assembled troops were 
singing the words for all they were worth. 

To Rod the whole thing seemed like some won¬ 
derful dream. He could not remember anything 
the Governor said after that. He only heard the 
captain giving the order for them to leave the 
stand. When they were dismissed, they were sur¬ 
rounded by such a crowd anxious to shake hands 
with them that the boys, and even the captain, 
were more bewildered than ever. Rod was finally 
rescued by Anna Royanna, who placed her arm 
about his shoulder and led him away. This loving 
act, and the look of pride in her eyes, spoke louder 
than many words. That she was pleased was to 
him a greater reward than all the wild cheering of 
the scouts. 




CHAPTER XXX 


THE NIGHT RUN 

I T took the Hillcrest troop a long time to get 
settled down after the excitement of the Re¬ 
view. Whenever they met at Headquarters they 
could do nothing but discuss everything that had 
taken place. For awhile they were greatly puzzled 
as to how the Lieutenant-Governor had learned so 
much about them. At last it leaked out that 
Anna Royanna had supplied the information. 

“I hope you do not mind,” she said to the cap¬ 
tain, when he asked her point blank if the rumour 
was true. 

“No, not at all,” was the reply. “But I wish 
to goodness ye’d given us a little warnin’. It 
was as great a surprise as when that bear charged 
me up the brook. I wasn’t expectin’ it.” 

“Oh, I hope it was not as bad as that,” was the 
laughing response, for the singer had heard all 
about the adventure with the bear. 

“Not hardly as bad, Miss. But the scouts are 
all upset. When not playin’ baseball, they are 
talkin’ about what happened at the Review, till 
I’m almost discouraged.” 

324 


THE NIGHT RUN 


325 


“It’s only natural, captain. They’ll get over 
their excitement in time. I could not resist the 
temptation of writing to the Lieutenant-Governor. 
It would have been a shame for your boys not to 
have received credit for what they did, and I feel 
sure that all the other scouts present at the Re¬ 
view were helped by the story of their noble 
deed. I have just had a nice long letter from 
Whyn, and she is delighted with what the scouts 
have accomplished. She sends her good wishes to 
the boys, and thanks them over and over again 
for their kindness to her.” 

* 4 How’s she gittin’ along?” the captain en¬ 
quired. “It’s been a week since we’ve had a let¬ 
ter from her.” 

1 ‘ She is doing nicely, so she says, and the doctor 
thinks she will be able to come home for Christ¬ 
mas.” 

“Will she be well then?” 

“It seems so. The operation was pronounced a 
decided success, though it will take some time yet 
for her to get strong.” 

“She’s the finest girl that ever drew breath,” 
and the captain turned away his face so as not 
to show the mistiness which had suddenly dimmed 
his eyes. “She’s a plucky one, sure.” 

Three weeks after the Review Anna Royanna 
left Hillcrest. This was a great grief not only to 
the scouts but to the Royals as well. But the 
promise that she would visit them at Christmas 


326 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


if she could possibly arrange it, gave them some 
comfort. This bright sympathetic woman had 
entered so much into their lives, and had shared 
their joys and sorrows as one of themselves, that 
when she was gone they felt depressed for days. 

With the passing of summer came the fall, with 
long cold nights, and heavy winds. The scouts 
found it pleasant to meet in their snug room 
around the genial fire. Gradually they began to 
settle down to the work for the first-class tests, 
and also to review what they had already learned. 

“ Yez must never imagine that ye know a thing 
thoroughly, ’ ’ the captain reminded them. “Fer 
instance, there is yer signallin’. Ye should be able 
to make each letter without thinkin , how it is to 
be made. And I want yez to practise up the Morse 
system, as well as the Semaphore. It’ll come in 
mighty handy at night, when ye can’t use the 
flags. Yez kin never know too much.” 

The scouts found great pleasure in carrying 
out the captain’s suggestion. By means of bull’s- 
eye lanterns they were soon able to send and re¬ 
ceive messages at night in a most creditable man¬ 
ner. For awhile the neighbours were startled by 
this performance until they learned the cause of 
the flashes through the darkness. 

The scouts had been at their room one bleak 
raw night, and had just left, except Rod, who had 
gone with the captain into the Anchorage for a 
parcel Mrs. Britt wished to send to the rectory. 


THE NIGHT RUN 


327 


He had been there only a few minutes when sev¬ 
eral loud thumps sounded upon the door. Quickly 
opening it, the captain was surprised to see Tom 
Hunker standing before him. This was something 
most unusual, for since his defeat several years 
ago Tom had shunned both the captain and the 
Anchorage as if they were plague-infested. 

Stepping quickly into the kitchen, the visitor 
stood there with face white and haggard, and his 
whole body trembling. 

“What’s wrong, Tom?” the captain asked. “Ye 
look most scared to death.” 

“S-S-Sammy’s hurt,” was the gasping reply. 
“He f-fell and broke his 1-leg, and Pm afraid his 
n-neck, too.” 

“Why don’t ye go fer the doctor, then?” the 
captain queried. 

“I c-can’t. He’s over the r-river, down at 
Marshal’s. He was sent fer to-day. Oh, my poor 
Sammy!” and the distressed man gave a loud 
wail of despair. 

“What d’ye want me to do, man?” the captain 
demanded. 

‘‘ Go fer the doctor. I c-can’t git anybody else.’’ 

“H’m, is that so? I thought it must be some¬ 
thing pretty desperate which would send ye to 
me.” 

“So ye won’t go?” and Tom raised his eyes 
appealingly to the captain’s face. “Fer God’s 
sake, do, or my Sammy’ll die.” 


328 EOD OF THE LONE PATEOL 


“Certainly I’ll go, Tom, jist as soon as I git 
ready. You call at the rectory on yer way back, 
and tell the Eoyals that Eod won’t be home to¬ 
night, fer I must have him with me. It’ll take two 
to handle the Roarin' Bess. I know they won’t 
mind so long’s the boy’s with me.” 

“It’s good of ye, and I shan’t soon-” 

“There, keep that fer some other time, Tom 
Dunker,” the captain interrupted. “I can’t be 
bothered with sich nonsense now. Where’s my 
oil-skins, Betsey?” and he turned to his wife. 
“Better let Eod have that old suit of mine; he 
might need it before we git back. ’ ’ 

Eod was delighted with the idea of a run on the 
river on such a night. He had often imagined 
what it would be like to be out there in the Roaring 
Bess with a strong wind blowing. To him, fear 
was unknown when on the water, especially when 
the captain was along. And so as the yacht left 
her mooring,, and headed down-stream, he sat in 
the cock-pit and peered ahead into the darkness, 
pleased that he was on watch to give warning of 
any approaching vessel. 

A strong wind was racing in from the east, 
giving the captain a busy time in handling the 
boat. This was still more difficult when they 
reached the channel, and the Roaring Bess drove 
into the rougher water which is always found 
there. The white-caps leaped high, and drenched 
both man and boy. 


THE NIGHT RUN 


329 


“ Lucky we brought our oil-skins,” the captain 
remarked. “We’ll have to beat back, and then 
there’ll be some fun. I wonder if the doctor is 
a good sailor. My, that was a whopper!” he ex¬ 
claimed, as a larger wave than usual struck the 
yacht. “ Guess it’ll be rougher before mo min’.” 

“This is great!” Rod cried, as another wave 
leaped upon them. 

1 ‘ Tut, that’s nothin ’, ’ ’ the captain replied. ‘ ‘ If 
ye’d been with me aboard the Flyin’ Queen when 
we struck a gale, ye’d know something about big 
seas then. Why, this is only a mill-pond.” 

“I’m going to see a gale some day, captain. I 
want to go out on the ocean in a storm. ’ ’ 

“Ye do, eh? If ye go, I guess it’ll be aboard a 
liner, where ye’ll be penned up like a rat in a 
trap. That’s the way people travel these days, ‘in 
luxury,’ they call it. But give, me my old 
Flyin’ Queen , a strong breeze abeam, and ye kin 
have all yer iron or steel tubs as fer as I’m con¬ 
cerned.” 

The Roaring Bess had made good time down the 
river, lifting and swinging forward with long 
plunging leaps as if glad of the freedom she was 
enjoying. Ere long the wharf was reached for 
which the captain had been heading, and in a few 
moments she was lying in smooth water on the 
lower side, safe from the wind. 

“You stay here, lad,” the captain ordered, as 


330 EOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


he sprang ashore, and made a line fast to the 
nearest post. “Til run up fer the doctor.’’ 

It took him but a short time to cross the field 
to Marshal’s house. Here he found Doctor Tra¬ 
vis, and briefly stated the object of his visit. 

“It’s a terrible night, isn’t it?” the doctor en¬ 
quired. 

“Oh, no. Jist a gentle breeze.” 

“But look at your oil-skins. You’ve been 
drenched from head to foot.” 

“Well, what of it? A little water won’t hurt 
anybody. The more the better, is my motto. ’ ’ 

“Very well, then, I’ll go,” and the doctor 
reached for his big coat and hat. Then he seized 
his grip, and followed the captain down to the 
wharf. 

“You sit there in the middle,” the captain 
ordered, as they reached the boat, and keep yer 
head low in case the boom should take a sudden 
yank over. Ye won’t git so wet there, either.” 

The wind on the homeward run was almost dead 
ahead, and it was necessary to beat from side to 
side of the channel. But the captain knew every 
inch of the way, and he was almost as much at 
home here at night as in the day. Up and up they 
steadily crept, while the Boaring Bess raced from 
side to side, tossing volumes of water at every 
plunge. Rod was alert and active as a cat now, 
crouching close to the captain, ready to obey his 
slightest command. How the boy did enjoy it. 


THE NIGHT RUN 


331 


and his whole body thrilled with the excitement 
of the wild run. The more the yacht reeled, the 
greater his pleasure. But the doctor had far dif¬ 
ferent feelings. He liked the water, but not on 
such a night as this. He was sure that the boat 
was going over every time a furious gust struck 
her close-hauled sail, and he always gave a sigh 
of relief when she righted herself again, with no 
more damage than some extra water tossed on 
board. 

They were opposite the head of the island now, 
and had just tacked for their “short-leg” run, 
when, without the slightest sign of warning, some¬ 
thing struck the mast a terrific blow. The yacht 
reeled wildly, the mast snapped like a pipe-stem, 
and fell with a splash into the water, carrying sail 
and all with it. 

The instant the blow came Rod sprang to his 
feet, and as he did so a part of the rigging caught 
him, and swept him overboard. With a wild cry 
for help, he tried to grasp something, but he could 
find nothing upon which to place his fingers. The 
cold waters closed around him. He tried to swim, 
to keep afloat, but the oil-skin suit hindered him. 
He battled with the desperation of despair. It 
was a terrible fight he made for life there in that 
inky blackness, with the water surging about him, 
and trying to win him for its victim. It seemed 
that he had been struggling for a long time, and 


332 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 

could resist no longer. His strength was going, 
and he had little power for any further effort. 

Just at this critical moment a firm strong hand 
clutched him like a vise, and he knew that the 
captain had come to his rescue. This roused him 
to new hope and energy. 

‘‘Keep cool, now,” the captain cried. “I’ve 
got hold of the riggin’ here.” 

All this had happened so suddenly that for a 
few seconds the doctor was dazed. He could see 
nothing, but he knew by the cry of the boy, and 
the startled roar from the captain, that something 
was seriously wrong. Then he heard the splash 
as the latter went over the side. In dismay, he 
waited, peering through the darkness in an ef¬ 
fort to find out what had become of his com¬ 
panions. It seemed like an age that he stood 
there until he heard the captain’s voice bidding 
him to give a hand, and pull him in. He sprang 
at once to the side of the yacht, leaned far over, 
and stretched out his right arm. But he could 
touch nothing. 

“Where are you?” he shouted. “I can’t reach 
you.” 

“Out here,” was the reply. “Try ag’in.” 

Leaning farther out now upon the overturned 
mast, he tried once more, and had the satisfaction 
of feeling the sudden grip of the captain’s fingers 
as they closed upon his own. Carefully and with 


THE NIGHT RUN 


333 


much difficulty, for the strain was heavy, he was 
able to draw the submerged man toward him. 

“Here, take the boy,” the captain gasped. 
“Never mind me.” 

With his left hand the doctor clutched Rod’s 
oil-skins, and was soon able to drag him into the 
yacht. This had scarcely been accomplished be¬ 
fore the captain pulled himself aboard, and stood 
by his side. Forgotten was everything else as the 
old seaman bent over Rod as he lay in the bot¬ 
tom of the cock-pit. 

‘ ‘ I believe he’s unconscious, Doc,’ 9 he cried. ‘ ‘ Is 
there anything ye kin do fer him?” 

“We must get his wet clothes off at once,” was 
the reply. “I’ll wrap him up in my great-coat.” 

“I’ve a couple of blankets in the locker there,” 
and the captain turned around, and began to fum¬ 
ble with his hands for the latch of the little door. 
“Ye’d better strip him, Doc.” 

It took the latter only a few minutes to get the 
soaked clothes off the unconscious boy. He then 
wrapped him up securely in the two blankets, and 
laid him in a sheltered place in the cock-pit. 

“Good Lord, what will the Royals say!” the 
captain groaned. “Here we are adrift and can’t 
lift a hand to help ourselves. I wonder what 
struck us, anyway.” - 

“It was something big,” the doctor replied. 
“I heard the water striking against it as we 
drifted off. It is over in that direction,” and he 


334 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


pointed to the right. ‘ ‘ Listen, you can hear it now. 
It’s adrift, and following us. ,, 

“I wonder what it kin be,” the captain mused. 
“I can’t imagine what would rip away the mast 
before strikin’ the yacht. It is certainly very 
queer.” 

“Is there any chance of our drifting ashore, do 
you think ? ’ ’ the doctor asked. * 4 It will be hard on 
that boy if we are forced to stay here all night.” 

“There’s a strong current runnin’,” the captain 
returned, “and it’s likely to hold us in its clutch 
fer some time. The tide won’t change fer over an 
hour, and it’s hard to tell where we’ll be by that 
time. Hello, what light’s that up yonder?” 

As the doctor looked he saw a bright glare in 
the distance, which was becoming brighter every 
minute. 

“It’s coming toward us, anyway,” was his com¬ 
ment. What can it be! ” 

The captain made no reply for awhile, but stood 
very still, with his eyes fixed upon the approaching 
light. 

“I’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “It’s that big 
tug which went up this afternoon. She’s lost one 
of her scows in this gale, and is now lookin’ fer 
it with her search-light out. It was the scow we 
struck. I understand it all now. We ran right in 
front of it, and its big flare of a bow caught our 
mast. Confound Bill Tobin! Why didn’t he 
take care of his scow?” 


THE NIGHT RUN 


335 


Tide, wind, and steam soon brought the tug 
near. Her search-light swept the water in every 
direction, at times dazzling the eyes of the two 
men in the yacht. At last it remained fixed full 
upon them, showing that they were observed. In 
a few minutes the tug was alongside. 

“Hello, what’s wrong?” came a deep gruff 
voice from the wheel-house. 

“What’s wrong with you, Bill Tobin?” Captain 
Josh asked in reply. “Ye’ve got us in a nice fix 
to-night. Why didn’t ye take care of yer old 
scow? She’s smashed us, that’s what’s wrong.” 

“Oh, is that you, Josh Britt?” and Captain 
Tobin’s voice suddenly changed. “Climb on 
board, and we ’ll try to straighten matters out. ’ ’ 

Without more words, Captain Josh lifted Rod 
tenderly in his arms and scrambled up into the 
tug. 

“For heaven’s sake! what have ye got there?” 
Captain Tobin exclaimed. 

“Parson Han’s son, that’s who it is. Got a 
bed ready?” 

“Bring him here,” and Captain Tobin turned 
to his right. 1 ‘ Put him in my bed; he ’ll be all right 
there.” 

By this time the tug-boatmen had made fast to 
the Roaring Bess with a long rope, and kept her 
in tow as the tug was swung around and headed 
for the drifting scow. 

“We’ll just run that confounded scow into the 


336 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


lee of the island,’’ Captain Tobin told the ship¬ 
wrecked men, “and then we’ll put yon ashore as 
fast as this old tub can travel. Will that do?” 

“I s’pose so,” Captain Josh replied. “But git 
a big hustle on. Ye’ve got something more im¬ 
portant than a scow to save to-night.” 


f: 


CHAPTER XXXI 

BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 

N EWS of the accident on the river soon 
spread throughout the parish. For a time 
various kinds of reports were in circulation, until 
it was learned that Rod was the only one who had 
received any injury. It was told how Captain 
Josh had carried him up to the rectory, while the 
doctor went ahead to tell the Royals what had 
happened. 

While the neighbours talked, Rod was lying in 
his little bed in the grip of a raging fever. He 
knew nothing of what was going on around him, 
nor how anxious ones watched him night and day. 
It was Miss Arabella who came to Mrs. Royal’s 
assistance in this time of need to help with the 
household affairs. Her tongue had lost none of 
its sharpness for those she disliked, but for her 
friends she was most loyal. She would have done 
almost anything for Rod, and she was not slow in 
expressing her opinion of Tom Dunker and “his 
whole tribe” for causing so much trouble. 

Captain Josh almost camped in the rectory 
kitchen. When not there, he was wandering about 
337 


338 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


the door-yard right in front of Rod’s window. 
He ate and slept at the Anchorage, but that was 
about all. 

‘‘ It’s my fault that the boy is sick,” he told 
his wife, “and it’s up to me to be on hand in case 
of need. Jimmy kin look after things around here 
while I’m away.” 

Numerous were the visitors who came to the 
rectory to enquire about the sick boy. Tom 
Dunker was one of them, and he found the cap¬ 
tain on guard at the back-door. 

“How’s Rod to-day, cap’n?” he asked. 

“No better,” was the gruff reply. “Had a bad 
night.’ ’ 

“I’m real sorry, cap’n, I surely am,” Tom blub¬ 
bered. “To think that he did it all fer my 
Sammy.” 

“How is yer kid!” the captain questioned. 

“He’s better, thank the Lord. The doctor got 
there jist in time. But fer you and Rod he’d be 
dead now.” 

“Cut that out, Tom. I’m not used to sich 
stuff.” 

“But I can’t help it, cap’n,” the visitor snif¬ 
fled. “I can’t sleep at nights fer thinkin’ of it all. 
I shan’t fergit it in a hurry, oh, no.” 

“Big fool,” the captain muttered to himself 
as he watched Tom shuffle away. “It takes a 
mighty hard blow to knock any sense into a head 
sich as his.” 


BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 339 


As the days passed, Rod became more restless, 
and kept calling for Anna Royanna. It was hard 
for the anxious watchers to listen to his piteous 
pleadings. The doctor’s face grew grave during 
one of his frequent visits as he watched the rav¬ 
ing hoy. 

“Do you suppose she’d come?” he asked Par¬ 
son Dan, who had followed him into the room. 

“Would it do any good, doctor?” 

“It might. One can never tell. Anyway, I 
think that Miss Royanna should he told how sick 
he is. She is very fond of the hoy. You should 
send word to his mother as well.” 

“You’re right, doctor,” the clergyman replied. 
“I shall send two messages at once.” 

In less than two days Anna Royanna entered 
the room where Rod was lying. She had been 
driven from the station by a fast team. Her face 
was pale and worn, clearly showing that little or 
no sleep had come to her eyes the night before. 
In fact, she had not slept since she had received 
Parson Dan’s message. Everything else was for¬ 
gotten. Only one thing mattered to her, and that 
was the boy lying sick unto death in far-off Hill- 
crest. 

Rod had been more restless than ever during 
the night, and the fever was at its highest. All 
realised that this was the crisis, and that a short 
time would decide everything. He was still call¬ 
ing and raving as the singer entered the room. 


340 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


Stepping quickly to his side, she placed her hand 
upon his hot forehead. 

“Hush,” she soothed. “I am here. It is Anna 
Royanna.” 

That touch, more than the words, seemed to 
have a magic effect. The parched burning lips 
ceased to move, the staring eyes closed, and with 
a deep sigh Rod turned his head on the pillow, and 
sank into a peaceful sleep. Lovingly, and with 
eyes brimming with tears, the woman stood for 
some time and watched the boy. Then a light step 
aroused her. It was the doctor. 

“The turn has come,” he whispered. “You 
were just in time.” 

Rod rapidly recovered, and there was joy not 
only at the rectory but throughout the entire 
parish. Captain Josh was almost beside himself 
with joy, while the scouts plucked up sufficient 
courage to meet at Headquarters to talk about the 
accident, and their patrol-leader’s illness. 

It was a great day for Rod when he was able to 
sit up and receive visitors. Captain Josh had 
been often in the room, but so far the scouts had 
not been allowed to come. When at last they 
were given permission to visit the invalid, they 
could not get to the rectory fast enough. They 
were surprised to see Rod so thin and white, and 
when they left after their brief visit, they hurried 
back to Headquarters for another long talk. 

Rod was never so happy as when Anna Royanna 


BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 341 


was with him. Many were the stories she told, 
and she would often read to him. She seemed to 
be in no hurry about going away, and this pleased 
the boy, as he wanted her to stay until after 
Christmas. They were to have a big time on 
Christmas Day, so he told her. Captain Josh and 
the scouts were coming for dinner, and perhaps 
Whyn would be home. 

One day Rod noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Royal 
seemed happier than usual when they came into 
his room. Though no parents could have been 
kinder than they ever were to him, yet now there 
appeared a marked difference. He could not ex¬ 
plain what it was, but at times he found them 
both watching him with a new expression in their 
eyes. He even caught Mrs. Royal brushing away 
a tear, which surprised him. 

“What makes you cry, grandma?” he asked. 

“Oh, several things, dear,” was the reply. 
1 ‘ People sometimes cry when they are very happy, 
you know.” 

“I understand, grandma. You are happy be¬ 
cause I am getting well.” 

That evening after Rod was snugly tucked in 
bed, Miss Royanna came and sat down by his 
side. She had a book in her hand and she was 
going to read to him as was her custom now. 

“Tell me a story, please,” Rod begged. “I 
like that better, and your stories are so interest¬ 
ing.” 


342 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


‘ ‘ What kind do you want to-night ?’ ’ the woman 
asked, as she looked into the bright eyes before 

her. 

“Oh, anything. You always know best.” 

For awhile Anna Royanna remained silent, to 
all outward appearance very calm. But she was 
greatly agitated. She knew that the moment had 
arrived of which she had dreamed for years. 
Would it make any change in him? she wondered. 
Would he feel the same toward her? 

“What are you thinking about V 9 Rod ques¬ 
tioned. 

“About what I am going to tell you/’ and the 
woman gave a slight laugh. “IPs the most won¬ 
derful story you ever heard .’ 9 

“Better than a fairy tale?” 

“You can judge that for yourself when you 
hear it.” 

“All right, then. Go ahead.” 

“The beginning of this story goes back quite a 
number of years,” the woman began. “There 
was a young man who went away from home, and 
left his father and mother alone. They missed 
him very much, for he was their only child. He 
was a handsome man, and all who saw him ad¬ 
mired him. After awhile he met a woman who 
loved him dearly. They were married, and lived 
so happily together in a little cottage with trees 
all around it. They didn’t have much money, but 
they had each other, and that meant so much to 


BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 343 

them. At last a little stranger came to their 
home, a dear baby boy, and then their cnp of joy 
was full. He was so sweet and cunning, and they 
were never tired of watching him grow. Then 
something terrible happened. The father of the 
baby was suddenly ]dlled. ,, 

“Oh!” It was all Rod could say, as with eyes 
full of sorrow he fixed them upon the face of 
the story-teller. 

“Yes, he was killed,” the woman continued in 
a low voice, while with a great effort she re¬ 
strained her feelings. “It was in a railway acci¬ 
dent. His wife was thus left alone. She was a 
stranger and without money, and for days she 
wandered about trying to get work. But no one 
wanted a woman with a baby. She was told to 
put it either in the Poor-House, or the Orphan 
Home, or let somebody adopt it. If she did this, 
she knew that she would have to giye up her 
darling forever, and this she could not do. 

“At last, in despair, she worked her way back 
to her husband’s old home. It was a dark cold 
night when she reached the house, and there she 
left the baby, and hurried away as fast as she 
could.’ 9 

“Why didn’t she stay there?” Rod enquired. 
“Wouldn’t they have been glad to take her in? 
I know I should.” 

“Yes, dear, they certainly would. But this 
woman did not know them then, and she was very 


344 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


independent. She made up her mind that she 
would work hard, and when she had enough money 
she would go to see her boy. ” 

“And did she?” was the eager enquiry. 

“Not for years did she see him again. She 
worked so hard, and at times people treated her 
most cruelly. But her little boy was ever in her 
mind. For him she toiled, and for his sake she 
was willing to put up with almost anything. She 
sent what money she could for his support, but 
that was very little at first. Then one night she 
saw her boy! It was in a city, and she knew who 
he was, though he didn’t know her. Oh, how she 
wanted to put her arms around him, and kiss 
him.” 

“Why didn’t she do it?” Rod asked. “What 
stopped her?” 

“She was afraid that he wouldn’t love her as a 
boy should love his mother. So she made up her 
mind that she would win his love first, and when 
she was certain, then she would tell him who she 
was.” 

“And did she?” 

“Not for some time. You see, she went under 
a name different from her real one. She saw her 
husband’s father and mother, and became well 
acquainted with them. But she did not tell them 
who she was, as she wanted them to love her too. 
Then, there was something else which kept her 
from telling people who she really was. She made 


BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 345 


her living-” Here she paused, as if uncer¬ 

tain how to proceed. 

“How?” Rod enquired. 

“By going on the stage.” 

“Oh, she was an actress, then,” the hoy ex¬ 
claimed. “I have read about such people.” 

“No, not exactly that. But she sang on the 
stage.’ 9 
“Oh!” 

“What’s the matter, dear?” the woman en¬ 
quired. 

“Nothing much. Only something funny came 
into my mind. That’s all.” 

“Yes, she sang in public,” the story-teller con¬ 
tinued, “and she had made an agreement to sing 
for three years. She was afraid that if people 
knew that she was going under a wrong name 
it might make trouble. Anyway, she was sure it 
would make a whole lot of talk, and she didn’t 
want that to happen for awhile. It was one night 
after she was through singing that she met her 
little boy. He came with another boy to see her, 
and asked her to go and sing for a sick girl at 
Hillcrest.” 

With a startled cry of joy, Rod sat up sud¬ 
denly in bed. His eyes fairly blazed with excite¬ 
ment, and his body trembled. 

“Are you the woman?” he cried. “Am I the 
boy? Are you my mother? Oh, tell me quick. 
Is it really true?” 


346 EOD OF THE LONE PATROL 


“Yes, dear,” and the woman caught both of 
his hands in hers, “every word is true. You are 
my own hoy, and I am your mother. Are you 
glad?” 

The expression upon Rod’s face, as with a deep 
sigh of relief he lay back once more upon the pil¬ 
low, was answer enough. All the old dread that 
the other mother would come back and carry him 
off suddenly disappeared. And yet he wondered 
about the letters she used to write. A puzzled 
look came into his eyes. 

“What is it?” his mother asked. “Are you 
sorry?” 

“Oh, no. But I was wondering about that 
other woman who used to write to me, who said 
she was my mother .’ 1 

“It was I who wrote those letters, dear. I had 
to, you see.” 

“And you are not Anna Royanna, after all?” 

“No. My real name is Anna Royal. I only 
changed part of the last name to Royanna.” 

“Why, it’s just like a fairy tale,” Rod ex¬ 
claimed. “But, no, it isn’t, either,” he mused. 
“A fairy tale is only a make-believe, while this 
is really true. It’s better than a fairy tale. 
Isn’t it great!” and his eyes sparkled. “But, say, 
do grandad and grandma know about it?” 

“Yes, dear. I told them last night.” 

“And I bet they were pleased.” 

“Indeed they were. I wish you could have 


BETTER THAN A FAIRY TALE 347 

seen their faces when I told them that yon are 
Alec’s boy, and their own real grandson.” 

For a few minutes there was silence, Rod 
thinking of all that he had heard, and his mother 
recalling the night before, when she had revealed 
to Mr. and Mrs. Royal the story of her life. Never 
should she forget the look of intense joy which 
came into their eyes, nor the sweet peace which 
possessed her heart as they enfolded her in their 
arms, kissed her, and called her “daughter.” 
It had seemed almost too good to be true. She 
was roused by Rod’s voice. 

“May I tell Captain Josh?” he asked. “It 
would be great for him to know.” 

“We talked that over last night, dear,” was 
the reply. “Christmas will soon be here, and you 
are to have a party on that day. How would it do 
to wait until then?” 

“Oh, that’ll be great! Captain Josh, and the 
scouts will be here.” 

“Yes, and Whyn will be back by that time, so I 
understand, and we can arrange for her and her 
mother to come up from the city. Will that do?” 

“Won’t it be great!” and Rod fairly shook 
with delight. 

“It certainly will. We shall all go to the serv¬ 
ice on Christmas morning, and your grandfather 
wants to offer up special thanks for all the bless¬ 
ings we have received. We shall then come home 


348 ROD OF THE LONE PATROL 


for dinner, and have all the afternoon and eve¬ 
ning for games.’’ 

When Captain Josh came to see Rod the next 
day, he noticed the happy expression upon the 
boy’s face. 

“What’s up, lad?” he asked. 

“What do you mean, captain?” 

“Oh, I hardly know,” and the old man scratched 
his head in perplexity. “But everybody in this 
house seems about ready to explode with excite¬ 
ment. I never saw sich a happy bunch in all my 
life. Ye’d think that summer had been suddenly 
dumped down here, with all the birds singin’, the 
bees hummin’, and the flowers bloomin’. That’s 
the only way I kin describe it. ’ ’ 

“I guess you’re about right, captain,” was 
Rod’s brief reply, for he was determined not to 
give away the wonderful secret. 


THE END 
















































































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